


And Then I Fell

by Velvet_Crush



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Alternate Universe - Steven Universe Fusion, Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Badass Rey, Based on the episode 'The Answer', Bodyguard Romance, Class Differences, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Future Vision, Gem Fusion, Gem Racism, Giant Woman, Human Gems (Steven Universe), Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo is Sapphire, Loss of Limbs, Love at First Sight, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Prophetic Visions, Protective Kylo Ren, Protective Rey (Star Wars), Redeemed Ben Solo, References to deceased characters - Freeform, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey is Ruby, Snoke is a Diamond, Soulmates, Star Wars AU with Steven Universe Elements, Steven Universe References, Storm Trooper Rey, Storm Troopers are assholes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25066387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velvet_Crush/pseuds/Velvet_Crush
Summary: Kylo Ren is acting leader of the Great Diamond Order when his master, Supreme Diamond Snoke, makes an unexpected return. His master then reveals a prophecy he came across in his travels, which foretells of Ren leading the Order to victory against their long-standing enemy, the Crystal Resistance. In doing so, Ren will finally get what he desires most...but at a terrible price.Left with no choice but to accept his fate, Ren prepares to fulfill his master's expectations and meet his inevitable destiny.That is...until a certain female Storm Trooper accidently intervenes, and ends up altering fate for them both.(A Star Wars/ Steven Universe AU Fusion based on the SU episode 'The Answer')
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. The Test

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 4th of July Everyone!
> 
> I've been working on this story for a while now, playing around with the concept between writing my other stories currently in progress. While I initially wanted to wait till I had more chapters completed before posting, I couldn't hold back anymore and decided to go for it. So behold my Star Wars/Steven Universe AU Fusion (hehe fusion joke) which takes place in the SW universe with its characters yet has SU elements. As such, all humanoids have gems and gem-like abilities, as well as a similar culture which includes gem hierarchy, supremacy and racism. The force still exists too but can be used by all species including humans. 
> 
> Now keep in mind, I am being VERY LOOSE in terms of SU continuity and its gem abilities, pretty much using them as I would the force in terms of plot convenience. As such, not all gem types will adhere to standards nor how they are described in SU, though I will try to keep them close. This is still a Star Wars story but since its an AU, there will also be variations to its lore. I realize I'm doing something incredibly different and probably contradictory to both fandoms, but its a new concept and thus, some risks will be taken. Of course, critiques and suggestions are welcome, though please be kind as it is my first time attempting something like this.
> 
> Also keep in mind, while Rey and Kylo are acting as Ruby and Sapphire in this story, they do not have Ruby and Sapphire gems. In this version, Kylo is an Obsidian (something I thought was way more fitting) and Rey...well, you'll find out about Rey ;) And now onto the story!

Chapter 1: The Test

It was an eerily quiet time aboard the dreadnought ship  _ Supremacy _ when the silence was suddenly broken by the sound of racing footsteps, and the swish of a cape.

The Sith apprentice known as Kylo Ren, second-in-command and acting leader of the Great Diamond Order, was quickly making his way through the empty halls of the ship, the clanking of his boots echoing loudly against the hard metal floor. Ren had just finished attaching his long cape to his all-black armor when he stepped into a nearby elevator, which quickly rose upward toward the highest level of the ship.

Ren had pulled out his black gloves and was starting to slip them on when one got caught on the large, prism-shaped Obsidian that sat on the back of his right hand. Ren gritted his teeth in annoyance as he continued to tug on the glove, which kept getting snagged on the pointed tip of his black gemstone.

Just his luck. He did not need this. He  _ really _ did not need this. Especially right now.

Like most of the other high-ranking officers at the end of their shifts, Ren had planned to retire to his quarters once the night-cycle began for some much-needed rest. However, before he could even begin to close his eyes, an urgent message was sent to Ren’s comm informing him of the arrival of Supreme Diamond Snoke, who had requested his presence within the Diamond leader’s throne room immediately.

It had been a long time since Ren had seen or heard from his master, and his unexpected, unannounced return concerned Ren enough to force himself out of bed as quickly as possible. The Sith Commander didn’t even give himself time to dress properly, as evident by his signature helmet still being tucked under one arm while he continued to fumble with his gloves.

Getting impatient, Ren forced his hand through the glove, causing his gemstone to rip through the top of the black leather. Ren cursed under his breath, wishing he could summon his lightsaber at that moment and break something out of frustration.

Then again, he’d been wishing that for a while now, even before Snoke took off and left him in charge of the  _ Supremacy _ .

Kylo Ren had been running the Great Diamond Order over the last several week cycles in his master’s absence, overseeing the rising empire and heading several invasions upon dozens of planets. Their goal was to gather new resources for Snoke’s ever-expanding military and gain new territory for storing said resources. While the Supreme Diamond had conquered a good amount of ground during his initial uprising, it was under Ren’s command where the empire truly flourished and became a force to be reckoned with.

This didn’t come easy though, as Ren also had to deal with numerous uprisings and rebellions, both from the Gem Republic and from the conquered planets’ native inhabitants. The biggest threat of all, however, came from a growing group of gem rebels known as the Crystal Resistance. What had started as a rag-tag group of Republic trained pilots, soldiers, and officers, quickly grew into a full-blown rebel army. Citizens from the invaded planets joined their cause in droves, hoping to either reclaim their homes or take revenge on the Order. Their numerous attempts to liberate the conquered planets, while mostly unsuccessful, still managed to cause serious problems for the Order. Soon their precious resources began to dwindle faster than they could replace them, due to the constant fighting.

Needless to say, the whole ordeal had taken its toll on the Commander. Weeks of non-stop rebel related incidents had left Ren constantly on edge and led to many sleepless nights. Even the nights where he did manage to sleep were often plagued with recurring nightmares and panic attacks. By the time Snoke returned, Ren was feeling drained and irritable, sporting dark circles under his eyes along with a sour disposition. At least he could hide those physical weaknesses from his master once he put his helmet on.

While he wished he could postpone his meeting with Snoke till the day-cycle began, Ren knew better than to refuse a direct summons from his master. Anyone with half a brain cell knew it was never wise to disobey a direct order from a Diamond. Especially one as immensely powerful as Snoke. Still, Ren hoped his meeting with the Supreme Diamond would be short so he could finally get the rest he so desperately craved.

After finally getting his gloves on, Ren managed to slip on his helmet just before the elevator stopped and its doors opened. He strode into his master’s red throne room with purpose, walking past the guards and straight towards the dark throne ahead, where a tall, imposing figure draped in gold robes sat waiting for him.

Supreme Diamond Snoke was the epitome of power, a mysterious being that drew unlimited strength from the dark side and who, within a short amount of time, managed to use his power and influence to conquer nearly half the galaxy. He was so entrenched in darkness that he rarely used his Diamond abilities, claiming them to be far inferior compared to the dark power of the force. And given that Diamonds were the most powerful of all the gem types, that was saying something. It was a mindset he had passed on to Ren, who also refrained from using his gem abilities in favor of the force. Snoke had been the one to discover Ren’s potential in the dark side, training him as his apprentice and pushing the limits of Ren's powers further than ever before, both in his gem training and as a former Jedi.

However, despite Snoke’s great power and resilience, one could hardly tell he was supposed to be a Diamond based on his appearance alone. While it was a fairly, well-known fact that those lucky enough to be born with a rare Diamond gem were considered to be the most beautiful, flawless, perfect beings in all the galaxy, Snoke was anything but. His body was old and frail, his face worn and sunken in, and his skin was all pale and gangly looking, riddled with scars and imperfections. His gemstone, a hexagonal-shaped yellow Diamond, sat in the middle of an indent on his misshapen forehead as if it had been jammed in there instead of having naturally formed. Even the gem itself was slightly off, lacking the brilliant hue and shimmer one would expect in a Diamond, and was even sporting cracks in places.

Ren always wondered what had happened to Snoke to have left such an utter impact on his gem and looks. The only explanation his master ever gave was that he once fought against another Diamond and nearly lost. It was why he now dedicated himself fully to only using the force so he would never again be bested. As Snoke never elaborating any further than that, Ren thought it best not to ask, lest he risk insulting the Diamond leader who could easily annihilate him with a flick of his finger if he wanted to.

“Supreme Diamond, I have arrived,” Kylo Ren announced, kneeling before him and bowing deeply.

“Ah, Lord Ren. My young apprentice…” Snoke sat up slightly, an odd smirk on his face upon seeing his ward. “I applaud your speed and eagerness to greet me upon my return.”

“Of course. It is a privilege and a relief to see you returned safely to the  _ Supremacy _ master. I hope you were successful in your travels.” Ren said, keeping his gaze lowered as he spoke through his voice modulator.

“Indeed I was.” Snoke nodded in acknowledgment. “I hear you were just as productive in my long absence as well.”

“Yes, master. I have conquered several new planets since you left and have overthrown an entire star system in both your name and the Great Diamond Order.” Kylo Ren confirmed.

“Good. Very good.” Snoke nodded, pausing for a moment to look on his apprentice. “Normally I would commend you on your accomplishments…however…I heard you weren’t completely successful in your recent endeavor. I had received word that certain… 'outside interventions’…played a large part in the sudden reduction of our fleet. Interventions you failed to foresee and prevent…”

Ren paused to take a breath, having feared to address this topic. It figured that it would take only that one failure to taint the rest of his accomplishments. That’s how it always was with Snoke. Nothing short of perfection was acceptable.

“I do apologize for that master.” Kylo Ren said, keeping his gaze downward. “Despite our efforts to keep them at bay, the Crystal Resistance continue to run interference on our operations and have gotten bolder in their attempts to sabotage the Order. Before the last battle occurred, a rebel managed to sneak aboard one of our ships disguised as an officer, stealing intel and schematics for our latest invasion plans. This allowed the Resistance to get the upper hand, warning the planets we were planning to invade ahead of time, and providing them with methods for counteracting our weaponry. Because of them, a portion of our fleet was destroyed during the latest invasion attempt before they could breach the atmosphere. The rebels also cracked our coding system and found ways to override our various security programs, which resulted in them breaking into the moon base on Ajan Kloss. They have since captured it and made it their new base of operations, raiding the weapons and storage facility hidden beneath which we are currently in the process of trying to retake.”

“Is that so…” Snoke said, examining his apprentice.

Kylo Ren braced himself, ready for his master’s inevitable wrath and punishment.

To Ren’s surprise, Snoke merely chuckled in amusement and sat back smugly on his throne. “No matter then. It’s just one moon base after all. I’m certain we shall retake our lost territory soon enough. No need to be so concerned Lord Ren.”

Kylo Ren looked up, confused by his master’s suddenly lax attitude, prompting Snoke to elaborate.

“You see my young apprentice, this is exactly why I’ve chosen now to make my return,” Snoke replied. “For during my travels, I had the great opportunity to see what the future has in store for my empire. A future in which your attempt to recapture the new rebel base not only succeeds, but will finally bring about the end of our war with the Crystal Resistance, once and for all.”

Kylo Ren straightened up at this revelation. “You’ve foreseen victory for the Order master?”

“In a way, yes. I have.” Snoke confirmed. “While I was on a quest to further unlock the powers of the dark side, I came upon a Sapphire oracle, who shared with me a most glorious vision of the future. It involves a major win for the Order and an essential turning point for our growing empire…but it will come at a price.”

“Please, Supreme Diamond. Tell me of this vision and I will see that it comes true.” Kylo Ren said now standing up.

Snoke chuckled darkly. “Oh, you will my dear apprentice…regretfully though…it’ll come at the cost of your own life.”

Kylo Ren froze in place before speaking. “What do you mean master? Are you saying that I’ll be-”

“Normally I would discourage you from asking for such details, due to the delicate nature of prophecies. However, since this does directly involve you…” Snoke then stood up and walked slowly towards Ren. “I regret to inform you, Lord Ren, that your downfall will indeed occur during this attempt to retake the moon base on Ajan Kloss. Not only that, but it will also come at the hands of another being more powerful than you.”

“Impossible!” Ren protested. “Aside from you, there are no others out there whose strength and power rival my own.”

“Except…there is,” Snoke said, as the Diamond in his head lit up and projected a yellow hologram between him and Ren, showcasing the invasion as Snoke described it.

“In this vision, you will lead the Diamond Order’s armies down to the moon’s surface, landing just outside the rebel’s new home base. They will attempt to strike first, of course, using the moon’s surface cannons. An act that will fail and leave them vulnerable to attack. The rebels will then fight back but their tactics will not sustain them long as their numbers dwindle. Our armies will gradually overwhelm theirs, resulting in our recapturing of the rebel base and shattering all those who try to defend it.”

Ren watched as a projected version of himself led a stormtrooper army into battle, cutting through the dense jungle and taking down rebels left and right with his lightsaber as they stormed the base.

“That is exceptional news master,” Ren commented. “But…what is to become of me during all this?” 

“As I said, this battle will not be without its casualties.” Snoke continued. “Before the base is captured, most of your personal guard will fall trying to defend you, their forms either becoming damaged or shattered, as is to be expected of stormtroopers. Finally, you will face off one-on-one with a warrior in white…a rebel who bears a strong connection to the force…and in doing so, you will fall at their hands just as they will fall at yours. It is only when you make this ultimate sacrifice, will the rebellion finally end.”

Kylo Ren watched the projected image of a group of stormtroopers fusing into one giant stormtrooper fusion, fighting a large AT-ST Walker before being taken down by it and the surrounding rebels. Puffs of smoke erupted all around the field as their forms are destroyed. It was quickly followed by a vision of himself facing off against the warrior in white, whose face and figure remained obscured as they wielded a lightsaber of their own.

After an intense fight, Ren watched as the figure sliced off his right hand with their lightsaber, separating him from his gemstone and forcing him to his knees, before stabbing him right through the stomach. Before succumbing, Ren's projected self thrusts his lightsaber forward, stabbing the warrior in the chest where their gemstone resides. The gem then shatters upon contact, causing the warrior's body to burst into a beam of light. Ren’s body then falls to the ground, fading away and leaving behind nothing but Ren’s cloak, lightsaber, and severed hand, which all lie among the warrior’s shattered gem pieces.

Ren’s fists shook as he watched his own death unfold before him. He had recognized the fighting style the warrior had used as well as the lightsaber and immediately thought of the only person he knew who possessed as strong a tie to the force as he did…as well as a gem that was located in the middle of their chest.

“You’re saying my- that General Organa will be the one to destroy me?” Ren asked, his eyes still fixated on the hologram. “Despite her numerous attempts to bring me back to the light?”

Snoke chuckled. “It seems that way. Not surprising, given how you did ultimately shatter her husband.”

Ren felt a pain in his chest from the memory but quickly hid his emotions from Snoke.

“Lucky for you, my young apprentice, I will not allow you to suffer such a needlessly-tragic end,” Snoke stated, ending the projection. “After all, I wouldn’t call myself an all-powerful Sith if I couldn’t bend the rules of the force in order to cheat death.”

Kylo Ren looked up at his master. “Really? You would be able to stop my death master?”

Snoke gave a slimy grin. “Not quite. I have an even better alternative planned once this vision comes to pass. After your gemstone is recovered from the battlefield, I will use my powers to channel the essence from your gem into a new body. A better one. A synthetic one. You, my dear apprentice, will be reborn into a Sith more powerful than any that came before you, including your grandfather. With your new power, you will rise from apprentice to a fully realized Sith Lord, and finally, become a worthy successor to my vast empire.”

Ren’s breathing stilled at the revelation. Becoming a Sith Lord and living up to Darth Vader’s legacy were the two things he wanted more than anything else in the galaxy. It was his destiny to do what his grandfather never could. And now thanks to Snoke, it was finally going to happen.

“Now that you know what’s to come, you must not tell anyone in the Order what you have seen,” Snoke instructed. “For that fate to become a reality, you must take measures to ensure that everything goes according to plan when the time comes. Nothing short of perfection will make this vision come true. After all, unlike our gems, the future isn’t set in stone. Prophecies, despite being absolutes, are easily interchangeable in detail. All it takes is one variable to throw off an entire timeline. Consider this and your confrontation with the General to be the final test of your training before achieving the ultimate level as a Sith.”

Kylo Ren bowed. “As you wish, Supreme Diamond. I won’t let you down.”

“We shall see,” Snoke spoke before waving his hand to dismiss him. Ren immediately turned and left the throne room, headed briskly into the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Ren let out a shaky breath, his body trembling as he quickly removed his helmet, desperate for air which he swallowed in deep gulps. While he had managed to hold it together fairly well in front of his master, Ren’s body now shook violently with anxiety and distress over learning his fate. Despite knowing it would ultimately lead toward the destiny he had long yearned for, how it would come about and by whom was what affected him the most.

After all these years of her pleading with him to renounce his dark ways, Kylo Ren's mother General Leia Organa-Solo was finally going to kill him. Not by shattering him, but by the far more painful method of separating him from his gem. And in doing so, she would finally put an end to the monster she had helped create. All while he in turn would shatter her, thus putting an end to her precious rebellion. 

Ren couldn’t help but find it ironic, given how his mother had tried to prevent this exact scenario from happening many years ago.

Being a Sapphire herself, Leia had her own visions of the future, including one of his premature death. Ren had been a child when he overheard her talking about it to his father, the details of which he never fully learned or understood. He suspected that was why she had stopped him from completing his gem training, instead sending him to his Uncle Luke’s Jedi academy to learn how to use the force. Little did she know, the Jedi temple was where his decent and ultimate fall to the dark side truly began, bringing him to the point he was at now.

Thinking back to how his death would occur, Ren almost found it fitting, given how he had taken down his father in a similar manner. The day that happened was also the last time he encountered his mother face to face as she begged him to repent and come back home with her. He should’ve killed her back then. Instead, Ren allowed her to fan the flames of conflict that currently resided within him, always smoldering deep down and threatening to push him back to the light.

Ren took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down before banging his fists hard against the wall until the pain in his knuckles overrode his anxiety. While the memories of that day still lingered, causing a tight, painful constriction in his chest, Ren tried desperately to stuff it down until he could no longer feel it. He didn’t have time to dwell on the past anymore. Not when the future lay before him, both crystal clear yet uncertain.

Taking one last breath, Ren put his helmet back on and refocused his mind into forming a new strategy for the upcoming invasion. Sleep would have to wait for another night.

As much as Ren wished there was a way for him to be spared such a painful and undignified death, he knew his master would take care of things. After all, Snoke was the Diamond that would lead him to his destiny, as was foretold by his mother when he overheard her vision. It was the reason Ren agreed to become his apprentice, and despite his master’s harsh methods of training, Snoke had never steered him wrong.

Suddenly Ren now understood the nightmares he’d been having lately with total clarity. They contained visions of himself in battle against an unknown figure, falling to his knees as he was dealt the final strike before being engulfed in light. Having now heard Snoke’s vision, this only strengthened his resolve to make it come true and pass the test his master had set before him. But first, he had to make extra preparations to ensure the invasion plan happened exactly as it played out in the vision, even if it ultimately meant ensuring his own demise.

The first thing Ren decided to do was recruit a new squadron of soldiers that were to serve as his personal guards, while also perishing alongside him in battle. As much as he did not want to waste troops on what was ultimately a suicide mission, Snoke had shown a stormtrooper squadron fusing into a giant version of themselves in the vision, meaning they had to be there for that particular future to happen.

Taking out his comm, Ren sent a message to General Hux, asking him to locate a stormtrooper squad that was specially trained in fusion-based fighting. With any luck, he could keep the number of sacrificed soldiers to a minimum while focusing on his ultimate confrontation with his mother.

Even as the thought of their impending fight filled him with conflicting emotions and dread, Ren refused to let fear or sentimentality hold him back from his destiny. Victory through defeat. It was his final test and one he sought to see through to completion.

No matter the cost.


	2. Secret Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RY-1218 and her Storm Trooper squadron are working on a newly conquered planet when their Captain gives them some surprising news.

Chapter 2: Secret Team

Down on the moon of Endor, a squadron of twenty Storm Troopers were preparing to clear out a recently conquered village, having driven out the last of its native Ewok inhabitants. Once they finished scouting around for any lingering threats and traps, the Troopers secured the perimeter and started setting up for construction.

The squadron gathered together in a clearing before dividing into four groups, each consisting of five Troopers. Standing in a circle, each group of storm troopers placed their hands together in the middle until light from their hands engulfed them all, fusing them together into one giant Storm Troopers.

The four large Troopers then got to work on ripping up all the trees in the area, tearing down the huts and bridges and even moving aside large rocks until the whole area was bare. Soon a new moon base and storage facility would be built there to house the Order’s newest supply of resources, obtained from the Ewoks during the previous battle. All was going according to schedule.

Once the area was cleared, the four giant Storm Troopers unfused back into twenty individual Troopers and marched their way across the terrain to the next construction area, passing a line of trees with huts marked for removal.

Along the way, one of the Storm Trooper’s in the back slowly lingered behind the others, eventually breaking off from the rest of the squadron. They stopped in their tracks, turning their head toward one of the trees which they noticed had an unusual object sticking out of its trunk.

Glancing around quickly, the Trooper made their way over to the tree, closely examining the colorful object which turned out to be a flower. It was a beautiful specimen, with bright red petals and yellow thistles blooming from within. The Storm Trooper reached forward, gazing upon the vibrant colors in admiration as they gently touching the petals. If only they didn’t have to wear gloves all the time, then they could feel the actual softness of the petals between their fingers for once.

“You there!”

The Trooper turned quickly, facing another Storm Trooper dressed in silver armor with a long cape, a purple Agate gem shining brilliantly on their belt line.

“Get back in formation this instant.”

Without a word, the Trooper turned and raced back toward their squadron, pausing only when they heard the sound of a laser blast. Looking back briefly, they saw the silver Trooper aiming a blaster at the tree and a burning hole in its trunk where the flower once was.

Sighing sadly, the Trooper trudged back into formation, resuming their place in the very back where they were always forced to stand.

For as long as she existed, RY-1218, Cut 15 was a nobody. An abandoned orphan who could barely remember her family, where she came from, or even what her real name was. She had been sold to the Diamond Order as a child and was enrolled into Captain Phasma’s Storm Trooper Training Academy, where she was given her designated solider number. After that, she quickly became just another nameless, faceless Storm Trooper in the thousands that made up its vast army. No one cared who she was or whether she lived or died, for she was just a soldier and there were tons of her. Easily expendable as well as replaceable, whose only purpose in life was to serve the Great Diamond Order. All that mattered was that she always carried a weapon, followed orders without question and laid down her life in the name of the Supreme Diamond.

Yet, despite being another insignificance body in a sea of soldiers, RY turned out to be quite proficient as well as gifted in terms of her combat skills, especially where weaponry and physical prowess was involved. Having trained hard since childhood, RY excelled to the point where she became the best marksmen in her squadron and even the whole training academy. She also completed the academy’s obstacle course in record time, bypassing her comrades by a wide margin.

Upon achieving the highest score ratio the academy had ever seen, Captain Phasma made her scores and overall training accomplishments the standard to beat, requiring her comrades to score within ten points of her record in order to complete their own training. In doing so, the academy’s success numbers remained high, gaining them the reputation of churning out better and stronger Troopers.

While some would see that as positive reinforcement, RY knew the Captain only used that method to maintain her academy’s reputation as well as an excuse to punish the troops when they fell short. As such, it came as no surprise that her whole squadron ended up resenting her for making their training tests that much harder…among other more pettier reasons.

RY didn’t have much sympathy for them though, as she had it much harder than all of them combined. For despite being the prodigal solider of Phasma’s academy, RY herself was never allowed to graduate from training, much to her chagrin and disappointment. Instead, she was forced to take the same training courses and tests over and over again and expected to achieve the same high scores each time. It was frustrating, given how hard she worked to impress her superiors in her younger days, hoping she’d be considered good enough to fight in a regular battalion as a full-fledged soldier.

And yet, despite RY’s efforts to persuade the Captain that she was more than capable of doing such, she was always swiftly shut down and often punished for her insolence. Eventually RY stopped asking and tried focusing on getting the attention of other visiting superior officers, hoping they would notice her talents and convince Phasma to transfer her out on her behalf. Unfortunately, no one ever noticed her as Phasma usually kept them far away, referencing her as just another lowly soldier with generically high scores.

And so she was stuck, doing the same routine year after year. Letting her skills go to waste as she endlessly waited for her moment to arrive.

“Halt! All of you stand your ground at once.” Said one of the higher ranked Storm Troopers who waited for them in the clearing. “The Captain would like a word with all of you trainees. Wait here for further instruction.”

Her whole squadron came to a stop in the clearing, standing silently still as they waited expectedly for Captain Phasma to catch up to them.

RY let out a bored sigh as they waited. What she wouldn’t give to work literally anywhere else at that moment, even if it were for a short while. At this point, she was even willing to be part of Battle Infantry. While the latter position usually wasn’t desired by a Storm Trooper, given how quickly most of them were often wiped out during the first wave of battle, RY was eager to show off her fighting capabilities and sharpshooting skills. Hopefully they would one day make her an invaluable asset to the Diamond Order the same way Captain Phasma was.

RY often thought of what kind of Trooper she’d be had she been given the choice, picturing herself as a sniper or gunner. Maybe even operating a flamethrower under the right circumstance. In terms of non-combative roles, she probably would’ve chosen to become either a pilot or an engineer, having always wanted to work on a battleship out in space. Her third choice, if the first two didn’t pan out, was guard duty, preferably as bodyguard to some high-ranking imperial officer

One fantasy RY often found herself thinking about was to work in the services of the Diamond Order’s newest acting leader, Kylo Ren, a mysterious Sith warrior who recently came into power and was only second in command to the Supreme Diamond himself.

She’d only seen the Sith Commander once before months ago when he took over command of the _Supremacy_ , during which he gave a speech on a public tele-comm to all members of the Diamond Order. Though he wore a mask and spoke only through a voice modulator, he still managed to leave quite an impression on RY, who became curious about the Commander and what his whole deal was.

As such, she began doing some research on Ren, often listening in on tales told about him by the other Troopers, some of whom had been present during his numerous planetary conquests and had even witnessed his legendary force capabilities first-hand. Unlike the other generals, Ren only used his force powers in battle instead of the abilities that came from his rare Obsidian gemstone. This apparently made him an absolute beast when it came to combat warfare as well as unstoppable force onto himself.

RY also noticed that all of the Storm Troopers she listened to, while admirable of his skills, also seemed to be deathly afraid of him, given his tendency toward unleashing his force powers during fits of anger. As a fearless warrior, Ren was known to take down any threat that stood in his way almost single handedly with a disturbing amount of ease and finesse. As a commanding leader however, he was more known for his hot temper, no-nonsense attitude, and zero-tolerance policy for failure. Taking all that into account, it was no wonder Ren developed such a fearsome reputation within the Order.

While facts like that would’ve made any person weary of ever crossing the Sith Lord’s path, especially a disposable Storm Trooper like herself, RY felt the complete opposite. If anything, she found the stories of the Sith Commander’s exploits and conquests rather fascinating. It made her yearn for the chance to work more closely with him, to see his combat abilities in action. To be able to serve and fight alongside a man of his status and power, was certain to bring her a sense of importance and fulfillment, not to mention approval, that RY had been yearning for her whole life.

Alas, RY wasn’t counting on it ever happening. After all, Kylo Ren was powerful enough to the point where he barely needed an army, much less a personal guard following him about for backup. Still she could always dream.

Little did RY know however, as she watched Captain Phasma finally arrive and stand before the troops, that her dream was about to become a reality.

“Alright listen up! There’s been a change of plan.” Phasma announced to the squadron. “I have just received some rather…surprising news from General Hux of the _Supremacy_ , regarding you lot. As of now, all of you are officially off Construction duty, as well as Probationary and Rehabilitation training. Instead, you’re all being reassigned to Battle Infantry, effective immediately.”

RY blinked in surprise behind her helmet at the announcement. Apparently, her squadron was just as shocked as she was, their heads turning slightly toward each other in confusion as Phasma elaborated.

“Starting tomorrow, you will all be sent off to the _Supremacy_ , where you will meet with General Hux to receive further instruction on being incorporated into his own personal Battle Infantry Team.” Captain Phasma said in a formal tone. “This reassignment is top secret and is a personal order and request from the acting leader himself, Lord Kylo Ren. I expect you all on your best behavior and to obey all orders given.”

RY gasped softly in disbelief, hardly able to believe her ears. The Sith Commander had asked for them specifically? But why? And when Phasma said all of them…did she mean RY as well?

As if someone heard parts of her thoughts, a Storm Trooper stepped forward with his hand raised to address the matter.

“Excuse me Captain.” The Trooper spoke up hesitantly. “May I ask as to why our particular group was chosen? We don’t’ exactly have the most experience in battle and we lack a lot of the training needed in combat.”

RY knew there was truth in this. After all, most of her squadron were made up of below-average rejects. Troopers that were either on Probationary or Rehabilitation training due to some physical or mental defect or shortcomings. Unlike clones, which were easily reconfigured or replaced, human soldiers that needed to be reconditioned were sent to Coruscant, where they had to train for at least a year and undergo evaluation before being deemed fit to go back to their battalions.

When they weren’t training, RY and her squadron were stuck with Patrol and Construction detail, which usually included clean up duty following the battles that occurred on the invaded planets. Their job was to assess the hazardous terrains, clean up wreckage and search for any lingering dangers before construction on the new base or facility began. Very rarely had an actual battle broken out with them on planet. So why did Lord Ren want them, out of all the other Storm Trooper squadrons at his disposal?

Glancing over at the Captain, RY could feel Phasma’s cold stare even though her helmet. Her superior officer was usually harsh on them, never shying away from criticizing or pointing out their failings and utterly despised having her orders questioned. RY in particular had been the subject of her ire for many years, something she had learned to deal with despite being very tempted to use the purple Agate gem on Phasma’s stomach as target practice.

Normally Phasma was dismissive and even agitated when one of them would ask a question. In this case however, to RY’s surprise, she actually answered them without a hint of annoyance or condensation.

“The acting leader wishes to retake the moon base on Ajan Kloss, now a captured territory of the Crystal Resistance. Since this squadron has done scouting work there in the recent past, Lord Ren will be needing intel as well a group escort for when he goes to the surface to face down the rebels. While I am aware of your lack of training, it just so happens the Commander is seeking a group specifically with experience in fusion-based fighting. This should compensate for your insufficient battle skills and leave you all with the task of providing back-up to the Commander, who as you all know, is more than capable of defending himself.”

It was at that moment that RY was actually glad to be in the back of the group, as she could hardly contain her excitement over the news. Was this really happening? Not only was she finally going to meet Kylo Ren, but she’d be escorting and fighting alongside him on Ajan Kloss, a lush jungle moon with breathtaking landscapes, numerous waterfalls, lakes and grottos. It was one of her favorite places to have visited so far and now she was going back to it once more, this time with Kylo Ren under her protection.

“Of course, I had suggested other, much more capable squadrons in your stead, but Lord Ren was insistent on a group that had been to the planet recently.” Phasma added. “Despite how incompetently they handled their previous menial tasks. Lucky for you all, he doesn’t seem to be looking for quality, so you’ll have time to fake your competency until the invasion occurs. Worst case scenario, you can all merely fuse into one solider if you get into a dire situation. Which you most likely will.”

RY rolled her eyes. There were the condescending comments she was expecting.

“Now then, no more further questions. I expect you all to return to camp for rations and to prepare yourselves for tomorrow’s departure. Dismissed!”

The Storm Troopers saluted and turned in unison, marching back through the forests to camp.

RY didn’t get far though when she heard Phasma’s voice ring out over the marching.

“RY-1218. Front and center.”

RY paused, stepping out of formation, and moving to stand before Phasma. She tried to stand tall, not letting the captain sense her fear and apprehension.

“It seems you have finally gotten your wish. Despite my objections, the higher ups demanded that I send my _entire_ squadron to the _Supremacy_ , which unfortunately includes you. As such, I don’t think I need to explain why I require the utmost discretion from you during your stay.” Phasma stated in her sternest tone. “You know as well as I do that General Hux has a reputation of sorts for his dislike of lesser gems, which include any and all beings that are considered… _off-color_.”

RY held her tongue and subsequent anger that followed, knowing full well what the Captain meant.

“The last thing I need is for my reputation to suffer due to keeping a gem like yours within my ranks. Remember, the only reason you’re even here right now and not buried in some landfill, is to motivate the others into being a little less awful then you. I will make sure they stay discreet about you, on threat of shattering. For now, keep your head down and do as your told. Speak only when spoken to.” Phasma ordered. “And don’t run off or draw any attention to yourself like you usually try to do.”

“Yes Captain.” RY said obediently, hesitating before asking a follow up question. “Does…does Lord Ren share similar feelings toward different gem types as well?”

Phasma stared silently at her for a moment before responding. “I can only assume so, given who he serves and those he serves alongside. Either way, it is not an invitation for you to go advertising yourself. Nobody must know the truth unless you want to find yourself shattered, either by them or me.”

“No Captain. I won’t let anyone know. I swear to you, I won’t let you down.” RY said, saluting.

“We’ll see.” Phasma said before turning and walking away. “Dismissed.”

RY waited a bit before making her way back to her squadron. Although she managed to stay composed as she rejoined rank, inside she was fuming. She knew Phasma would bring up her gem type. She always did in order to highlight how inferior RY was compared to the others, despite her being much more proficient in skill. It was an unfortunate stigma she dealt with all her life due to the gemcentric culture she lived in.

When it came down to it, having a gem wasn’t as inherently special as it was made out to be, at least from RY’s perspective. Most humanoids tended to be born with a gem which all came with the same basic abilities: Varying degrees of natural self-healing, pristine health, bio-immunity, as well as increased durability, flexibility, strength and speed. However, many humans chose to wear their gems as status symbols, boasting their superiority to others due to the unique powers that came with each type of gem. Such powers varied from gem to gem of course, with everything from shape-shifting to telepathy to elemental control being a potential possibility with the awakening of each gemstone. The stronger and rarer the gem, the more power a person possessed, sometimes having up to four or five different abilities at a time, which meant they were more highly valued as a being and to society as a whole.

Briefly RY glanced at her left hand which contained her gemstone, now currently being covered up by her glove. It was part of the indoctrinating procedure that all Storm Troopers were to be given injections that blocked their gem abilities, ultimately rendering them useless aside from their basic functions. Phasma said it was to prevent the troops from being unequally powerful or rebelling by forcing them to rely on weapons and training as their only means of fighting and defense, making them all equally capable in combat. Well, most of them anyways.

RY strangely managed to bypass this deterrent, having discovered her ability to store things inside her gemstone, almost like a bag or compartment. She wasn’t sure if it was a common ability for her kind, but it was one she ended up using quite often, hiding away items she scavenged on missions that she wanted to collect but didn’t want the Captain finding out about. RY wasn’t sure why the injections didn’t work on her, assuming it was because she entered the Order’s services at an older age after she already developed her gem powers.

Nevertheless, it was her own personal secret that she didn’t want the Order knowing about, less they tried blocking her from using it. She was already treated badly enough due to her gemstone type and her unconventional attributes as a solider, most of which were the result of her also being an…

_‘…off color.’_

RY shook her head, pushing Phasma’s words out of her thoughts. She wouldn’t let an insignificant thing like gem types get in her way. All that mattered now was her upcoming mission and the fact that her dearest wish was coming true. She was going to meet and serve Kylo Ren at long last, a fact that left her feeling strangely giddy. Even if his attitude was the same as Hux in terms of gem types, RY was determined to prove herself a capable solider and show just how worthy she was of fighting alongside him. If she was lucky, she might even gain his approval and be made a part of his army, guarantying a way out of Phasma’s training academy once and for all. It was a long shot, but it was possible.

She just hoped she lasted long enough through training and in the battle to come to be given that chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you can't tell, I'm using episodes of Steven Universe as chapter titles.
> 
> Also, Rey's Storm Trooper number is a reference to the day 'The Force Awakens' premiered and her gem cut number is the year she was born.


	3. What's Your Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RY-1218 and her squadron arrive on the Supremacy and have run in's with two of the Order's highest commanding officers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned in the tags, both Hux and the Storm Troopers are assholes in this. You've been warned.

Chapter 3: What’s Your Problem

The next day, a shuttle came to Endor to pick up RY-1218 and her squadron, transporting them across space to their new assignment location.

After a few standard hours of travel, they arrived within range of the giant gas-planet Ajara and its nearby orbiting moon, Ajan Kloss. Hovering a short distance away amidst a small fleet of Star Destroyers, was the enormous mega-class star dreadnought that was the _Supremacy_ , the personal ship of Supreme Diamond Snoke.

As soon as she stepped off the shuttle and into the hanger, RY couldn’t help but look around in awe. She had never been inside a dreadnought ship before, much less one belonging to the most powerful ruler in the galaxy. Not only was it huge but it was even bigger on the inside, filled with at least a hundred TIE fighters and numerous weapons of varying shapes and sizes. There was even an entire Star Destroyer, partially damaged from a battle by the looks of it, parked comfortably inside the hanger with room to spare. The whole place reminded RY of the inner confines of Coruscant, only roomier and with more sophisticated tech.

Security personal awaited them upon arrival, scanning each of their solider ID chips that resided inside their wrist cuffs. Due to rumors of rebel infiltration, security had been tightened, with every member of the order now being fitted with a chip to identify themselves whenever boarding a vessel or classified area.

Once RY and the other nineteen members of her squad were cleared, her group quickly marched forward into the halls of the ship itself, where they were directed toward an assembly room for debriefing. Along the way they passed other Storm Troopers, as well as officers, technicians, and various droids that made up the crew, who were diligently working and preparing for the upcoming invasion.

RY was so taken in by her new surroundings that she forgot to keep in pace with her comrades, lingering behind slightly as she looked around in fascination. When the group stopped to allow another squadron to pass by, she accidently walked straight into the Trooper in front of her.

“Hey, hey!” The Trooper turned sharply to face her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

RY snapped back to attention. “Oh sorry! I was just-”

“Sorry? What, now that Phasma’s not around, you think you can just jump rank?” The Trooper asked, shoving her backwards with one hand. “Back of the line where you belong off-color!”

“Hey, don’t touch me you brute!” RY yelled back.

Her whole squadron had stopped at that point, turning around to watch her and the other Trooper face off. None of them moved to help or run interference. Not that she expected any of them to, given how they all had similar negative attitudes about her being there.

The Trooper who shoved her then clipped his blaster to his belt and advanced upon her. He towered over her by a couple inches and had a stockier build, making RY nervous enough to raise her blaster in warning. The Trooper paid it no mind, grabbing the blaster out of her hands and tossing it away from her.

“And who’s gonna make me stop huh? Some defective nobody like you?” Asked the Trooper, stepping into her personal space before roughly pushing her backwards with both hands. “You shouldn't even be here in the first place!”

RY stumbled backwards, slamming into something hard. Boiling with anger, she was about to launch herself forward to retaliate, when two hands grabbed her arms firmly from behind, holding her back.

“Let go of me!” RY yelled, struggling against the other person’s hold. “I need to teach this rotten, no-good nerfherder a-”

All the Storm Troopers gasped at once. “Formations now!”

Immediately they retreated back into their rank, looking over her head while anxiously gripping their blasters.

RY froze at their reactions. Getting a bad feeling, she slowly turned around and nearly died of shock.

Standing behind her, dressed in head to toe black armor with his signature black mask, was none other than Kylo Ren, who silently stood over her while maintaining his grip on her arms.

“She bumped into the Commander.” Whispered one of the Storm Troopers.

“Oh, she’s gonna get it now.” Said another Trooper, bracing themselves.

Ren released her arms and RY immediately backed away from him, bowing submissively. “I’m so sorry Lord Ren! I didn’t mean to- it was an accident I swear! Please have mercy on me!”

Knowing of Kylo Ren’s infamous temper and violent tendencies, the other Troopers waited in anticipation, eager to watch him unleash his legendary force powers on their most unwanted member.

However, Kylo Ren said nothing and continued to stare at her in silence before walking forward.

RY braced herself for some sort of harsh retribution, but it never came. Instead, Ren walked past her toward the Trooper that shoved her. Immediately all the other Troopers backed away, causing the offending Trooper to stand awkwardly alone in place as the Sith Commander stared him down.

“Lord Ren.” The Trooper said saluting awkwardly. “I, uh-”

“You shoved her.” Ren said simply. “I saw you.”

“I can explain.” The offending Trooper putting up his hand. “You see she-GAHH!“

Suddenly the Storm Trooper was firmly grabbing himself by his neck as his body rose into the air.

Everyone watched as Kylo Ren raised his hand up slowly, clenching it into a fist and causing the Trooper’s head to tilt upward as he started choking himself with his own hand, gagging desperately for air.

“All of you listen and listen well.” Ren spoke in a deep commanding voice. “I don’t care about your inner conflicts or how things are normally run in your squadron. Let me make it perfectly clear that I will NOT tolerate this type of behavior from any of you, whether on this ship or in battle. Anyone who acts out in a similar manner will be dealt with swiftly and harshly…like so.”

The Trooper continued to gasp for air until Ren thrust his hand forward, flinging the Trooper across the hall where he landed hard against the wall, before crumpling lifelessly to the ground. Upon landing, the Storm Trooper’s body burst into a giant puff of orange smoke, leaving behind their empty armor along with a triangle shaped Jasper gem which tumbled out of the helmet.

RY was in utter shock, looking at the remains of the Trooper Ren had punished and felt a small stab of guilt. Despite how often the guy bullied and demeaned her, she was unable to help feeling sorry for him given his now damaged form. She had heard that getting one’s form damaged, or ‘poofing’ as her comrades often jokingly called it, was a painful process made only worse by the reforming process that followed. At least he hadn’t been shattered, which was something Kylo Ren had been known to do without discrimination.

And yet, another part of RY couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased over the guy’s punishment. Especially since Kylo Ren had been the one to enact retribution on her behalf. Though it was pretty obvious he only did it to establish his authority in front of the new troops, as well as to make an example of the consequences they’d face should they cause him any trouble.

Sure enough, Ren turned sharply to the other petrified Storm Troopers, his voice stern and menacing. “Let that be a lesson to the rest of you. Now get back in line and head to your briefing now!”

Immediately the Storm Troopers went back into their designated formations, scuttling their way down the hall one row at a time, trying to get as far away from the Sith Commander as possible. The last to leave was RY, who grabbed her blaster off the floor and glanced briefly back at Kylo Ren before rejoining the rest of her squadron, racing past the poofed Storm Trooper’s armor which lay empty in the middle of the hallway floor.

As Ren watched her go, he got this strange feeling in the back of his mind. Almost like a blip in the force had activated when the Storm Trooper bumped into him. Unsure of what it meant, Ren decided to ignore it for now and focus on the task ahead, continuing his march toward the assembly room.

“Clean up that mess.” He commanded to some nearby crew members that had been watching. Without a word, they gathered the fallen Trooper’s gemstone along with their armor and headed toward the nearest medbay.

* * *

Inside the spacious assembly room, the last of RY’s squadron had finished gathering before the third highest-commanding officer in the Diamond Order, who stood on a platform in front of a tall glass window that overlooked the deep void of space.

Armitage Hux wasn’t intimidating size-wise, yet the ginger-haired General had a stern, no-nonsense presence about him that seemed to command a certain level of respect, as well as fear. His gemstone, a red, crossed-shaped Bixbite, was displayed prominently on his right arm and seemed to have been interwoven into the armband on his teal uniform to highlight its brilliant sheen. Giving off an air of arrogance and self-importance, Hux said nothing as he looked down upon the troops with a pinched expression, turning up his nose in clear disdain of his newest underlings.

Once the troops finished filing into their rows, Kylo Ren entered the room, walking straight ahead onto the platform without sparing a glance toward the squadron he just reprimanded. RY watched from her spot in the back as the Sith Commander crossed over to where Hux stood, noting that the red-haired General seemed to flinch at Ren’s presence, deepening his frown into a near sneer. After a short silent exchange, Ren and Hux stood side by side before the troops as the briefing began.

“Let’s get straight to business, shall we? You’ve all been summoned here at the behest and personal request of our acting leader and Lord High Commander, Kylo Ren, who is currently heading our latest invasion plan with the blessing of our illustrious leader, Supreme Diamond Snoke.” Hux said, gesturing to the Sith apprentice beside him, who said nothing nor showed any visible reaction.

RY stood a little straighter as she gazed upon the Commander properly, wishing she had a better vantage point up front. It was a tad difficult listening to the General’s speech when she had Ren’s commanding presence distracting her, but RY forced herself to listen anyways. She did not wanting to miss a single detail of what was expected of her, hoping to live up to his expectations.

“Within five days’ time, we will begin ‘Operation Lunaris’, a plan which involves retaking the captured moon base on Ajan Kloss and eliminating the Crystal Resistance, who currently have a stronghold over its facilities. As we speak, the Resistance have broken into the base’s storage depository and commandeered a good number of powerful weapons among other essential resources, both of which must be reclaimed before they are used against the Order. Your job will be to escort Lord Ren down to the moon’s surface and defend him against the rebels until he is close enough to destroy their leader, which will in turn lead to us recapturing the base. I don’t think it necessary to stress that failure in this mission is not an option.”

All the Troopers stiffened at his words apart from RY, who seemed more eager than ever to finally go into battle and be part of such a worthy mission.

“I am well aware that your particular squadron has its shortcomings and lacks experience on the battlefield as well as overall combat. As such, all of you will be expected to train with our Agate drill sergeants at all functioning hours until the invasion begins. It is of vital importance that you all be prepared to fight in regular combat just as well as you would in… _fusion_ …related combat.”

RY could tell the General wasn’t even trying to hide the disgusted tone in his voice. It was a well-known fact that General Hux despised fusions, even those formed by people with the same gem type. According to Phasma, the only reason he allowed them in his army was to strengthen the weaker factions and save on resources for construction, preferring the quick and cheap manual labor the Storm Troopers provided as opposed to using large, complicated machinery.

As a descendant from a long line of Beryl’s, Hux had always perpetuated the ideals of superior gem types, a fact evident by his extreme dedication to Supreme Diamond Snoke, who had no issues with allowing Hux to exercise his ideology so long as the man showed him absolute loyalty. As such, Hux had made it a rule that any gem considered lesser then a Quartz was not allowed to serve within the Order. Especially organic types, which were considered lowest on the gem hierarchy. It was something RY made sure to be mindful about as she continued listening to the General’s speech.

“As we speak, our tacticians are developing a strategy to sabotage the Resistance’s defenses and execute this invasion plan as quickly and smoothly as possible. In order for said plan to succeed however, we will need further intel about the moon’s ecosystem and terrain, information that was regretfully lost during our last confrontation with the rebels. This is where all of you come in to prove your worth to the Order. According to our sources, the rebels have reactivated several giant laser cannons that are now stationed around their base, aimed at every possible vantage point. The immense firepower from those cannons can reach as far as the lower atmosphere and are capable of destroying an entire battle cruiser. As such, air dropping in troops and landing carriers will prove difficult without suffering heavy casualties. Given you are the only squadron that has recently been to the moon base, any information that would aid in the invasion plan, such as a way of disabling the cannons for example, must be divulged, and is sorely needed. With that said, I shall now open the floor to any and all intel you’d like to provide.”

The Storm Troopers looked between themselves for a moment before a few slowly raised their hands. Hux pointed to a random Trooper.

“The jungles there are very dense. Perfect for camouflage. We could sneak towards their base undercover.”

“And how would that work exactly?” Hux asked skeptically. “Do you plan on gluing branches to your white armor? And how do you plan to bypass the devices that can detect body heat signatures?”

The Storm Trooper looked down in shame, unable to answer as he lowered his hand.

Another Storm Trooper raised their hand, which Hux also pointed at.

“There’s lots of spontaneous rainstorms. Could present possible mud slide risks. Maybe we could try routing the river, so they flood the base?”

“You expect that a bit of rain will wash away several metric-ton cannons? Not to mention the river flows toward the east and wouldn’t reach the base close enough to even flood it.” Hux retorted, causing the Trooper to also withdraw their hand.

Another Trooper also hesitatingly raised his hand. “Perhaps an animal assault will distract them? We could collect a bunch of the ones living on the planet and unleash it on the base as a diversion?”

“You mean the tiny frogs and amphibians? Forget it, I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” Hux asked, tweaking the bridge of his nose in agitation as the Storm Trooper shrunk back.

More suggestions came in, each one more nonsensical and less thought out than the next, to the point where even RY was rolling her eyes. She could tell that Hux and Ren were getting annoyed by her comrade’s poor suggestions and ill thought plans as well.

“For the last time, we cannot fire upon the base from above.” Hux pointed out for what felt like the third time in the past ten minutes of suggestions. “There is too much valuable weaponry and tech being kept within the facility, plus it’s stock-piled on top a supply of explosives. The Supreme Diamond would be furious if any more valuable resources were destroyed after everything that was lost in the last battle.”

At that, the last of the Storm Troopers lowered their hands. Hux rolled his eyes in agitation before he addressed them again.

“Perhaps I wasn’t being clear enough before; This invasion needs to happen on the surface, close to the base and must be done as swiftly and precisely as possible, in order to minimize damage to the base and its contents. As of now, we don’t know which of the weapons the Resistance plans to use against us other than the cannons. Can none of you come up with a simple suggestion that would work to our advantage?”

The Storm Troopers looked between themselves, but no one spoke up, either out of fear or lack of any actual ideas.

“This was the best squadron you could find for this mission?” Kylo Ren asked, turning toward Hux with displeasure in his voice. “I had expected at least a certain degree of competency. You do realize what’s at stake, right?”

“Don’t patronize me Ren!” Hux snapped at him in a harsh whisper. “You wanted a team that specialized in fusion, which aren’t many given it’s my army we’re using. Not to mention they are a scouting unit on probationary and rehabilitation training, which means they’re lacking in sufficient skills. I had thought they’d be of more use to us intel wise, given they’ve actually been to the moon’s surface. It seems I was mistaken.” 

Ren said nothing, knowing how hard it was to locate the particular type of squadron he needed. Given how low grade they were, it didn’t bother him as much that they were to become sacrificial lambs once the battle began. Even so, Ren still worried about finding a way to disable the bases defenses. While Snoke's vision showed that the cannons would malfunction before battle, Ren did not want to leave it to chance and wished one of the Troopers would come up with some semblance of a plan he could use.

“Right then, last chance. Any other pitiful pieces of intel the lot of you would like the throw at us before we move on?” Hux asked out loud to the troops.

RY fidgeted with her blaster. She wanted desperately to speak up and present an idea she had been thinking of since the suggestions started. Yet she hesitated, thinking back to what Phasma had said earlier and worried about drawing unwanted attention to herself. What if they didn’t approve of the idea? What if they didn’t listen or thought her as incompetent as the rest of her squadron?

She waited for one of her comrades to say something, but the other Storm Troopers merely looked down or between themselves, remaining silent.

“Such a disappointment.” Hux said, shaking his head. “Fine. I suppose if there is nothing further-”

“I have a suggestion General!” RY said, suddenly raising her hand.

Hux looked up for the sound of the voice, barely noticing RY waving her hand in the back as she stood half hidden behind her comrades.

“Come forward soldier.” He commanded.

RY moved out of line and walked forward, trying to look confident while also keeping her hands from shaking. She could feel the other Troopers’ eyes following her, sensing both their confusion as well as their resentment at her sudden boldness.

Finally, she stopped before the platform that General Hux and Kylo Ren were on, standing as tall and straight as she possibly could while they looked down upon her.

“You seem a tad small for a Storm Trooper.” Hux noted as he crossed his arms. “No matter…What, pray tell, is this suggestion of yours?”

RY swallowed nervously. “I was thinking…in regards to what you mentioned earlier about the surface cannons…what if I said there was a way you could disable them without alerting the Resistance or risking the fleet? A way to sabotaging their entire defense systems before the battle even begins, with minimal risk of casualties?”

Ren glanced over at Hux, who looked at her skeptically. “Normally I would call you a fool. Our sources state that the base and its cannons are heavily guarded on all sides. Just how would you propose we ‘disable them’ exactly?”

“Their base and cannons are indeed guarded…but I’m willing to bet the area where their power supply resides would not be. In which case, all you would need to do is infiltrate the area where the power generator resides and disarm it, which could be easily done without detection. Once that’s done, their defenses will be down and you could launch an immediate surprise attack on the base before the Resistance has time to recover.” RY pointed out.

Hux uncrossed his arms, finally showing a hint of interest. “Go on.”

“Normally a moon base’s power generator is hidden within the facility itself underground. Not in this case, however. This one is hidden in a separate facility within the jungle on the far north side of the east river, several clicks away from the base and any surrounding cannons.” RY explained. “There are also caves on the planet’s surface as well. Deep caverns that go on endlessly both above and underground. I’ve come across a few entrances and found pathways that lead out to the river’s edge, right by where the generator is kept. Using a small squadron, you could sneak them through the caves and straight to the generator without the rebels even noticing. Have them set up pulse disruptors around the area and then activate them from a distance just before the battle begins. Once that happens, everything will shut down at once. Every piece of technology that relies on their power source, the cannons, the shields, any heavily powered artillery, will all be rendered immobilized for at least a standard half hour. By the time the rebels realize what’s happening and try to fix it, the Order will have already landed on the moon’s surface and infiltrated the base.”

A silence fell upon the room as Hux regarded her plan. Her eyes drifted over towards Kylo Ren who had uncrossed his arms as he too now seemed to be regarding her plan with interest.

Finally, Hux nodded. “That…actually seems like a decent, well thought out strategy. How unexpected for a Storm Trooper.”

RY felt pride radiate in her chest at the compliment and it took all she had to maintain her composure. “Thank you General.”

“Tell me, exactly how many troops would be needed to pull this off?” Hux asked.

“Three should suffice sir. Just enough to help set up disruptors around the area without being noticed.” RY said, pausing before adding somewhat excitedly. “I could lead them to the generator if you’ll allow it. I know the way through the caverns quite well actually, like the back of my hand. I could get a group in and out before the first carrier even lands.”

“Then its decided.” Kylo Ren said before Hux could respond. “We’ll have you lead a small infantry to plant the pulse disruptors. Let us know the coordinates of where the cave entrances are, and a ship will drop your group off at a safe distance. Once you’re finished, you and the others will meet back up with the rest of the squadron to attack the base.”

“Yes, of course. As you wish Commander.” RY said saluting him. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

Though no one could see her face right now, RY was practically beaming with joy. This was it. Her moment had come at last. She was now about to lead her own infantry group on a sabotage mission with the blessing of Kylo Ren. Both him and the General have acknowledged her plan and were actually using it for battle. This was the greatest moment of her life.

That is, until Hux spoke up.

“Not so fast Lord Ren. I have a few more inquiries for our newest 'tactical genius’ regarding this plan of hers.”

Both Ren and RY turned to the General, who was now looking at her oddly, both with scrutiny and distrust. Hux then moved toward the steps, walking down the platform while never taking his eyes off her. A feeling of dread began to overtake RY as Hux moved closer and closer till he was practically standing in front of her, his eyes full of suspicion.

“I must admit, that’s quite the plan you’ve come up with in such a short amount of time. Surprisingly thorough and well thought out…however…before we fully dedicate ourselves to this presumably brilliant strategy, I must ask…how is it that you alone know of these caves and their passageways, while the rest of your squadron has failed to mention them?”

RY paused. She could feel her squadrons staring at her from behind but ignored them before responding.

“Our job…is to scout and assess the terrain of all Order run territories for potential hazards before the start of construction. In my attempts to be thorough, I’ve admittedly wandered farther than the rest of my squadron and came across the hidden entrances to the caves along the way.”

“And you did this how many times exactly? Enough to know them ‘like the back of your hand’ as you so put it?” Hux said, repeating her words from earlier. “Interesting you were able to split off from your squadron that many times unnoticed. Doesn’t protocol forbid against such thing, especially for those still in training?”

Kylo Ren was now looking intently at her, moving down the platform steps to join Hux.

RY's heart was racing in her chest. She had said too much. Phasma had warned her about this. And now she was making herself too big of a target to be ignored.

Hux pulled up his holo-comm and began typing into it. “What’s your number soldier?”

RY paused before responding. “Uh, RY-1218, cut 15.”

“Why is it looking up her number relevant?” Ren asked Hux, who was searching for her file.

“Just trying to confirm something…ah here we are…RY-1218, cut 15…human female, age 26. Recruited at age 10 from the planet Jakku. Spent 16 years training in Phasma’s academy within the probationary rehabilitation unit...how unusually excessive..." Hux noted, once again glaring at her suspiciously before continuing. "Ranked highest in her squadron in both fitness and marksmanship. Subpar scores in hand to hand combat. Gemstone type is a-”

Hux paused and frowned. He read over the rest of her report in silence before looking up at her with an intense scowl. RY felt a wave of panic overwhelm her as she realized exactly what he discovered.

“Well then…it seems we’ve come across an ‘irregularity’, just as I suspected.” Hux said handing Kylo Ren the holo-comm.

Ren took it and read over the same info Hux had recited. He looked at the distorted picture of a ten year old girl before reading the rest of her file, finally coming upon the information that resulted in Hux's reaction.

_Gemstone type: Dolomite._

Kylo Ren looked up in confusion. RY could feel both men look at her with scrutiny and started to breathe uneasily.

“I thought your plan was too well thought out for a soldier.” Hux said arrogantly, venom in his voice. “Or should I say…rebel spy!”

Kylo Ren tensed beside him, along with the other Storm Troopers who were now gripping their blasters tightly.

Seeing all the tense movement around her, RY shook her head frantically. “Rebel spy- no! No, I’m not-”

“Are there any other spies in this unit?” Hux asked, turning to the Storm Trooper squadron. “Or are you all equally traitors? If not, speak up now or I’ll have all of you charged with treason!”

“No, not at all sir!” One Storm Trooper spoke up immediately as the others looked nervously between themselves. “We had no idea General. That Trooper does not represent the rest of us-”

“Is that so? In that case, you should all have no issue with the following orders I’m about to give.” Hux commanded to the other Storm Troopers. “Eliminate her at once!”

“Yes General!” They all chimed at once.

The Storm Troopers immediately readied their blasters and closed in around RY, who backed away from fearfully her squadron as panic threatened to overtake her.

“N-no! General please! I swear to you I am not-”

RY’s squadron raised their blasters, aiming towards her as Hux stood back to watch.

Before anyone could shoot however, Kylo Ren suddenly rushed forward and thrusted his hand at the Storm Troopers. All them went flying backwards and collapsed to the ground at once, dropping their blasters in the process.

“What do you think you’re doing Ren!?” Hux demanded.

RY watched in confusion as her comrades stumbled over each other. She turned back toward Kylo Ren, who quickly held his hand up towards her.

RY dropped her blaster as her arms froze to her sides, a deep chill coursing through her spine as she was rendered immobilized. Ren approached her, keeping his hand raised towards her head.

At first, she waited for a crushing feeling to close around her neck. Instead, she felt a great pressure pushing down on her brain. RY tried to shake the achiness from her head, but the closer Ren got, the worse the pain became. She realized that he was trying to read her mind, as flashes of her memory played before her eyes, including brief glimpses of her childhood on Jakku, her solider training and other various scouting missions she’d been assigned to.

RY gasped out in pain as Ren’s outstretched fingers closed in, nearly touching her helmet as he continued probing the deepest recesses of her mind.

"Stop it please!" She cried out. "I'm not...AHHHH!!"

Just then a blinding light whited out her vision. She could hear a familiar voice, followed by a song, then a vision of a symbol followed by a burning sensation.

Ren then abruptly let up, quickly withdrawing his hand. RY let out a gasp of relief. Ren staring at her for a few moments before moving back toward Hux. As he walked away, she felt him release his hold over her, causing RY to stumble to her knees from the sudden dizziness.

“She’s not a spy.” Ren said to Hux, who looked at him in bewilderment. “I saw no memory of the Resistance nor any ties to it in her mind.”

“Is that right?” Hux responded, looking livid and he stomped over to RY, grabbing her by the arm and forcing her to her feet. "She must be another form of traitor then...maybe a sympathizer to one of the planets we invaded."

“I swear to you General, I am not a traitor!” RY pleaded, pulling away. “I am a Storm Trooper, loyal to the Diamond Order through and through-”

“Enough! You must think me extremely dimwitted if you expect me to believe such lies!” Hux spat at her. “But you can’t pull the wool over my eyes. It might not be common knowledge, but I happen to know for a fact that only men are born with Dolomite gemstones. The female equivalent would be Alabaster. And as far as I can tell, you are neither male nor do you fit the qualities of an Alabaster type!” Hux pointed out as he released his hold on her. “With that said…care to explain that little misprint on your file?”

“It was a mistake!” RY cried out, feeling her pulse quicken as she could barely breathe, let alone think. "Just a simple mistake, I swear to it!"

Hux seemed unconvinced, stepping into her personal space again and glaring at her intently like a creature that was about to strike. 

“Then show me your gemstone.”

RY froze in place, unable to respond or move.

“I said, show me your gemstone soldier.” Hux repeated. “Now!”

RY knew she should do as she was told but feared what would happen afterwards if she did.

“It’s on the back of your left hand according to your file, is it not? If you’re so innocent, let’s see it then.”

RY said nothing, hesitantly lifting her hand and peeling back her wrist pad, before peering down at her glove as she debated on what to do.

Getting impatient, General Hux grabbed RY by the wrist and tore off her glove. That’s when Hux and everyone else in the room finally set eyes on RY’s gemstone: 

Sitting on top of her left hand was a small, tear-drop shaped Pearl. Unlike other Pearls which were round, smooth and shiny looking, hers had a dull, bumpy surface, along with a slight pointed tip that stuck up right in the middle of the gem.

Immediately a shocked looked appeared on Hux’s face, followed by intense revulsion and disgust.

“So that’s it. I knew something wasn’t right about you. You’re neither a Dolomite nor an Alabaster. You’re not even a type of Quartz…You…are a Pearl. A common, organic, misshapen Pearl… _an off-color_.”


	4. Off-Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux discovers RY's secret and wants to dispose of her...until Kylo Ren intervenes.

Chapter 4: Off-Color

RY wrenched her hand away from Hux and took several steps backwards, quickly pulling her glove back on to cover her gem. All her comrades had gotten to their feet and were now blocking her exit, glaring at her through their helmets with disdain. Close to panicking, she glanced toward Kylo Ren, who also had his attention focused on her but showed no visible reaction.

Hux advanced upon RY, looking utterly livid. “Please enlighten me _off-color_ , as to how a defective organic like yourself found its way into my army! And do so fast, before I have half a mind to shatter you where you stand!”

“I…th-they told me I-I was a D-Dolomite.” RY stuttered, trying to form sentences. “They didn’t discover till much later…said I was more valuable as a soldier-”

“Your squadron leaders were fools and far too merciful.” Hux spat. “If I had been there, I would’ve seen you disposed of immediately, instead of allowing you to taint my armies with your presence. Speaking of which…”

Hux turned his attention toward the rest of the squadron, who immediately backed away in fear. “How long were you all aware of this? I can tell by your reactions that you already knew.”

“It’s not our fault!” Claimed one Storm Trooper. “Our Captain made us swear to secrecy! We didn’t even want her in our squadron to begin with, really! We would’ve gladly-”

“Enough!” Hux bellowed, causing the troopers to retreat even further away. He then glared back at RY, who bowed her head and spoke in a small voice.

“Please General. I only wish to serve-”

“Don’t try and act submissive with me, you hideous off-color!” Hux shouted baring down on her. “Rest assured you will be punished for your deception. I’ll report you to the Supreme Diamond, and he will make sure you are made an example of, just like the worthless defect you-”

Suddenly Hux froze, his mouth gaping open. He started making choking noises, his hands flying to his throat as he gasped for air. RY watched in confusion as his body then floated away from her and towards Kylo Ren, who had his hand outstretched as he used his power to summon the General to him. Only once Hux was back at his side did Ren releasing his hold over him.

Hux gasped loudly, massaging his throat as he struggled for air and glared hatefully at Kylo Ren. “How…dare you…use your powers…on me!”

“You were getting out of hand.” Ren responded lowering his hand. “I already told you she’s not with the Resistance or any other group of traitors. So leave your personal issues with her for later.”

“But she’s a-”

“I don’t CARE what she is!” Ren retorted. “We have more important matters to deal with, like getting back on track with the invasion. Besides, we need her in order to make plans for sabotaging the generator-”

“I will NOT be using a plan that some defective Pearl came up with!” Hux shot back, louder than ever. “This is my army and she is under my jurisdiction! Only I get to decide how my soldiers will be used or disposed of and will in no way, risk my reputation by promoting an idea concocted by an imposter. And if you try to force me to do so, I’ll let the Supreme Diamond know you’ve been undermining my authority and are allowing inferiors to serve within his ranks.”

RY glanced fearfully at the Commander, but Kylo Ren seemed unphased by the threat. Instead he took a menacing step towards Hux, intimidating him enough that he stepped back. Ren stared him down before responding.

“Your preconceptions aside, this soldier’s knowledge of the caverns and the power facilities are best intel we’ve gotten so far. It’s the most logical course of action for taking down the Resistance’s defenses and recapturing the base. If she knows the caverns as well as she says she does, then her cooperation and input are essential. The Supreme Diamond will understand and accept this course of action.”

Huz looked outraged. “Are you mad? There’s no way Supreme Diamond Snoke would approve of a plan concocted by an off-”

“Enough!” Ren shouted threateningly, causing Hux to clam up so he could continue.

“I have no doubt that the Supreme Diamond would be displeased upon learning where the plan came from. I’m also certain he’ll be displeased to find out your underlings allowed an organic to serve in your military for well over a decade without notice. But I’m especially certain he’ll be displeased should we go to him without a plan or one that ends up wasting soldiers and ships on another frontal assault, like what happened the last time you were left in charge of Battle Infantry.”

A slight wince passed Hux’s face, indicating he knew exactly what Ren was talking about.

“And as for your reputation General, since she is part of your army, I’m sure it wouldn’t be above you to merely claim credit for her ideas and present them as your own. That way no one else would question them or where they originated from. The Supreme Diamond need not know of your oversights and your image will remain intact.”

Hux glared at Ren and then back at RY in disgust. A deep look of conflict crossed his face, until finally he seemed to relent. “Alright fine. We’ll go with the plan if that’s what it takes to save face and win this war. However, I refuse to allow her to head the mission, since her allegiance is still questionable. Have her draw up a map for the caverns and send a different squadron in her place. Afterwards, I’ll see that she goes on the first shuttle back to Coruscant.” He narrowed his gaze at RY. “I’ll deal with her and her superiors once the invasion is over.”

RY could feel herself shaking in fear. She couldn’t go back to Coruscant. She’d never be able to escape. Phasma would never let her out of her sight again after learning how badly she’d blown her cover. Even worse…she would most likely shatter her before Hux even gave the orders.

“Out of the question.” Ren said as he stood between Hux and RY. “I need her insight into the moon’s terrain and any other potential hazards we may face while we formulate the various stages of this plan. It’s of utmost importance that she remains on board as my consultant.”

RY looked up in surprise. Did Kylo Ren just say he wanted her to stay…as his consultant?

Hux looked mortified. “You would bring a common Pearl into the war room with the other officers, for a purpose she’s not even trained for? I can assure you Ren, they will not stand for it!”

Ren merely glared at Hux. “The other officers don’t need to know what she is. And even if they did, who among them would be willing to challenge me on it?”

Hux said nothing at first, looking flustered for a moment before responding. “Need I remind you Ren, that all personnel and crew must have a purpose for being onboard the _Supremacy_. She needs to be doing something significant in order for her presence in the war room to be justified. You can’t just have some random soldier stand about pitching ideas as if they were her own. Everyone knows Storm Troopers are just mindless drones that fight and follow direction.”

RY’s fingers twitched, itching for the blaster she dropped earlier. She had never wanted to shoot someone more badly then she did in that moment. Luckily, Kylo Ren seemed prepared to deal with Hux and his demands.

“In that case, I propose a compromise. One you should find most agreeable General Hux. I will grant you full control of Battle Infantry training once more. You can use it as an opportunity to prove yourself and may choose the team that will head the covert operation to the generator. In exchange, I will take the Pearl out of your army for the duration of the invasion planning. You’ll allow her to stay on this ship, unharmed, to serve as both my consultant…and personal bodyguard. That way she fulfills her purpose as a soldier and has a reason to stay close to me while in the war room. Once the invasion is done and the base recaptured, you may deal with her as you wish.”

RY was unable to believe her ears.

Kylo Ren…wanted her to be his personal bodyguard. Just her. In addition to becoming his personal consultant. All for the purpose of staying close to him…it felt like she was in a dream.

Hux starred back at Ren for some time, a look of conflict mixed with disgust never leaving his face. RY held her breath as she anxiously awaited Hux’s answer.

Finally, he gave it.

“Fine then. I…begrudgingly accept your compromise. Keep her around as your little guard dog for now if you so desire. But as far as anyone’s concerned, this plan is of my own creation and she is merely a Dolomite scout relaying detail.”

Hux then turned to her and the other troopers. “As for the rest of you…No one outside this room will divulge her true nature, not even to the Supreme Diamond, on threat of shattering. Am I clear?”

“Yes General!” The Storm Troopers all responded in affirmation and saluted. Satisfied, Hux turned back to Ren.

“I do have a stipulation, however. Since I am now in charge of overlooking the troops training regime, I insist she be present for their hand-to-hand combat training, since we’ll need an even number of soldiers for sparring. From what her file reads, she could the extra training…and I’m sure her comrades could use an easy target.” Hux responded, suddenly looking smug.

RY let out a small breath of relief, not caring about her forced attendance for training if it meant she would stay on the ship. She did notice however that Ren’s hand seemed to twitch slightly at the mention of using her as a target.

“Oh, and one last thing before I fully agree to this arrangement.” Hux continued. “Since I will be the one running Battle Infantry for this mission, I expect to also take your position as head infantry leader. As such, it will be me who leads the first strike team going into battle instead of you.”

Ren fully clenched his fists at that demand. “That is not negotiable Hux. It goes against the plan. Supreme Diamond Snoke said I was to-”

“I am merely altering the plan a little.” Hux said with a slimy grin. “You will still be there of course, but instead of rushing in headfirst as I’m sure you intended, you will instead wait until all troops have been deployed before attacking. It’s better for your safety of course. Once that happens, you may face down the Resistance leader as planned, attacking only on my signal.”

“How dare you-” Ren said in a threatening tone.

“Now, now Ren, no need to be so upset.” Hux interrupted. “After all, it’s not like there’s a significant reason for you to be the first one on the battlefield.”

Ren said nothing, thinking back to Snoke’s vision and instead stared silently at Hux with seething anger.

“I’m sure we can find a way to make this work between us.” Hux continued in an arrogant tone. “Unless you want the Supreme Diamond knowing about this sudden act of mercy towards an inferior? Be a shame for him to suddenly question your judgement and your position within his empire during this very critical time, wouldn’t it Ren?”

Again, Kylo Ren said nothing, his fist shaking as it was clear he wanted to choke Hux again.

“Of course, we could avoid this conflict of interest altogether by merely sending the off-color away…” Hux added off-handedly as he glared at RY.

“No. She will not be sent anywhere that isn’t on this ship.” Ren said firmly.

RY watched as the two men seemed to be having a stare down, only broken by Ren speaking again.

“Fine. Lead the first wave into battle if you desire it so much. So be it.” Kylo said before turning sharply on his heal.

He stomped past RY and quickly stormed out of the room without another word.

RY watched him go, wondering if she should follow when Hux suddenly appeared behind her, grabbing her harshly by the arm and turning her towards him.

“Consider yourself lucky to still be in one piece off-color…for now.” Hux stated. “In the meantime, listen and listen well. I may have agreed not to harm you, but that does not mean I will make things easy for you either. As such, for the remainder of your stay, you will take residence inside the utility closet next to the troop’s quarters, only because I don’t want you mingling with the rest of my other troops and exposing your identity. You’ll take your rations and all reclusive periods in there as well. During peak day cycles, you will join your comrades for hand-to-hand combat training only and spend the rest of your time attending to the needs of Lord Ren until curfew. Do not speak to anyone unless you are spoken to first. And if you put a single toe out of line or attempt to escape, I’ll have you shattered on sight. Is that clear?”

“Yes General.” RY nodded in a low voice.

Hux leaned forward. “Enjoy what little freedom you have left. Once this invasion ends, you will be punished thoroughly for your deception. After I’m through, you’ll wish you were a war casualty.”

RY said nothing, trying desperately to keep herself from trembling while in his grip. Hux looked down, noticing her dropped weapon by his feet and instantly kicked it away.

“Just so you don’t get any ideas…” He glared at her. “You’ll get it back at the start of your shift. Now leave this room and wait outside for an escort to take you to your quarters. I need to speak with the real soldiers.” Hux commanded, releasing her arm and wiping his hand on his coat as if he just touched dirt.

RY quickly turned toward the doors, leaving without another word. Hux watched her go, at first looking smug but then concerned. He wasn’t sure why, but he was starting to get a bad feeling about this renegade, off-color Pearl. Something told him she was going to cause trouble for him, and that she was possibly more dangerous than she was letting on.

* * *

RY left the assembly room at a brisk pace. She did not stop walking once the doors closed behind her, instead continuing onward through the halls, her pace getting quicker before turning into a sprint, and then a run.

Soon she was hyperventilating and could feel herself coming undone. Panic was overriding everything else in her mind, including Hux’s warning about escaping. But RY didn’t care. She needed to get away. She needed air. She needed to not be in a metal tube, nor under the eyes of any judging comrades or hateful generals.

She wasn’t sure how she got there or what guided her as she raced through the mazelike hallways. All RY knew was that she was suddenly running through a set of sliding doors and into an empty open hanger she’d never seen before. Unlike the one she arrived in, this was much smaller and only contained one ship: an imposing black Silencer. Aside from that, no one else was around and there were hardly any other pieces of equipment lying around besides tools and spare parts. Not even a service droid was present.

After looking around to make sure she was truly alone, RY reached up and removed her helmet. She took a deep, gulping breath as she pulled it off, relived to finally breathe air that wasn’t recycled through her helmet. She then pulled out the hair tie keeping her tight bun together, allowing her brown hair to flow freely down her shoulders. Crouching over, she rested her hands on her knees as she took several deep breathes to calm herself, which didn’t come easily as her mind continued to swirl with everything that happened in the assembly room. 

She had blown it. Completely and utterly blown it. Within less than a few hours of being on the _Supremacy_ , she had opened her big mouth and ruined her future forever. Just like Phasma said she would. If it weren’t for Kylo Ren’s intervention, she would’ve been shattered already. Granted her new position bought her some time, but RY knew she was far from safe. Especially since she’d caught the unwanted attention of General Hux, who’d made his intentions to shatter her clear and would no doubt find ways of making her suffer miserably while she was on the ship. Only five days remained before she was to be sent back to Coruscant to face her Captain and the consequences of her deception. Five days before she would be at Hux’s mercy.

Five days…in which a majority of her time would spend in the presence of Kylo Ren, as his protector.

After a few minutes of concentrated breathing and focusing on that one good aspect of her predicament, RY’s body finally started to relax. Once she was able to breathe normally, she managed to stand up straight again as she took in her surroundings. It suddenly occurred to her she had no idea where she was and began to wonder how she’d find her way back to the assembly room, assuming Hux or his soldiers weren’t already looking for her.

As RY’s eyes drifted upwards toward the open entrance of the hanger, a magnificent sight awaited her eyes. Forgetting her former predicament, RY slowly wandered toward the edge, gazing up at the luscious moon of Ajan Kloss which floated a short distance away from the _Supremacy_. Carefully she lowered herself down so that she was sitting on the ledge of the hanger with her legs dangling over the side, grateful that there was a gravity rail a little further out to prevent her from falling into space.

Setting down her helmet, RY leaned back and stared off vacantly at the distant moon. Even though she’d visited it once before, RY never saw the moon from this angle, as their transport ships lacked windows. Gazing upon all the swirling clouds that covered the green and blue colors of the surface, she finally felt a sense of true calm. RY always loved those natural colors and the soothing effect they had on her. How she wished she could take a recording of it, or better yet, freeze that moment for a while to just stare at it and relax. Pretend that the rest of the day didn’t happen or was part of some really bad dream.

She then felt a familiar itching in her hand, specifically where her gem was. Now that she was alone, RY wasted no time in prying back her wrist pad and peeling off her glove. Once her gem was exposed, she immediately felt a wave of relief. Ever since she was little, she hated having to cover her gem, as it felt like walking around with an itchy towel over her face. Letting it be able to breathe felt nothing short of amazing, especially since it always seemed to itch or tingle at the most random moments.

Her good feelings stopped however as she stared down at her gemstone, the source of her frustration and why she’d been so upset to begin with.

All her life, RY had been made to feel like a lesser being just because she wasn’t born with a perfect gem like everyone else. At first, she was content to just be a defective Dolomite, on the smaller side but still able to fight. Then she found out she was something much worse…a defective Pearl. The lowest of the low according to people of Hux’s mindset. Of course, that would’ve been the case had she been born with a standard shaped Pearl, since they were considered the weakest of gems and most common among organic gemstones, serving as nothing more than eye candy to be ordered around like servants.

Since she had never met another Pearl before, RY had no real comparison for what she was supposed to look or act like, only knowing that she was considered defective for her type. At least she had that working to her advantage, being as she was a Pearl that knew how to shoot a blaster, as opposed to a Pearl that served as some nobleman’s plaything.

However, being the only Pearl in a unit full of judgmental Quartzes was an incredibly lonely life to live, especially given how none of them wanted anything to do with her once they learned her true gem type. Despite her attempts and the ever-rotating roster of trainees, the other troopers always managed to find out the truth about her during fusion training, only staying silent due to Phasma’s threats to shatter them. Of course, that didn’t stop them from bullying and excluding her, even though they were all low-level gems themselves with far less talent and abilities. It was nothing short of frustrating and there were times she wished she could just run away from it all. Not that she really had anywhere to go given how most beings in the galaxy both feared and despised members of the Order, especially Storm Troopers.

During her lowest points, RY became convinced that no one would ever want her, given how often she was torn down and thrown away. What being anywhere would want a defective soldier much less a Pearl? Certainly not her parents who had abandoned her on Jakku, or the dirty junk dealer that sold her when it became inconvenient to keep her, or her Diamond Order superiors and comrades who took advantage of her skills while still looking down on her like unwanted garbage. At this point, she was convinced even Kylo Ren was regretting his decision to keep her around. Especially considering it was her presence alone that seemed to put a dent in his invasion plan, mostly due to General Hux’s utter disgust of her and his eagerness to spite Ren.

Thinking back to the General’s harsh words, RY felt her anger rise and her breathing grew ragged again. Desperate not to lose herself to her emotions again, RY did the only thing that worked whenever she felt particularly stressed or angry. Closing her eyes, she placed a finger over her gem and gently traced circles around it as she started humming a soft tune. It was one she remembered hearing as a child and it always did the trick, calming her mind until she retreated into an internal state of serenity.

* * *

Heavy footsteps echoed loudly as Kylo Ren stomped angrily through the hallways of the ship, his anger radiating off him in droves. It got to the point where even his crew could both hear and sense him approaching, practically jumping out of his way to avoid being targeted.

Though he shouldn’t have been surprised over what occurred, Ren was still furious with Hux for interfering and purposely changing the plans on him out of spite. It figured the ginger-haired General would pull such a stunt, given their mutual animosity toward each other. Hux had always been jealous of Ren’s status and abilities, not to mention the special treatment and approval he received from Snoke, which Hux desperately yearned for. As such, Hux was always trying to find ways to take command away from Ren and undermine him at every turn, all for the sake of satisfying his own ego. If it weren’t for the Supreme Diamond, Ren was sure Hux would’ve attempted to overthrow or shatter him long ago.

And now Hux was intervening again, trying to take away command from Ren and make him look incompetent to his master. If it weren’t for the immense potential of the plan the Pearl soldier had come up with, Ren would’ve shut Hux down immediately and reported him to Snoke for his insubordination. Now it almost seemed like Ren was sabotaging himself, for in his haste to guarantee that one part of Snoke’s vision happened, he had ruined another part of it. He’d have to find a way to rectify his mistake later, hopefully without sacrificing the plan he had gone through so much trouble to attain, and the Pearl along with it. He wasn’t sure why, but it seemed the force was telling him that trooper was the key to him successfully pulling off this invasion. He had felt it ever since she’d spoken up, as everything she said seemed to make sense and be the answer to what he asked for and needed. And if the force demanded it of him, who was he to argue?

After all, Ren was about to face the most important test of his life. In fact, it was a test FOR his life. All it took was one thing for Snoke’s vision to go wrong and for Ren to face his untimely end without hope of resurrection. Unlike being damaged, if his gem were to be separated from his body before an injury occurred, he wouldn’t be able to heal nor resurrect himself if severely wounded. He was basically as good as shattered. Ren refused to let that happen.

As he thought about his impending death, Ren’s anxiety started to flare up, causing him to hyperventilate and increase his pace. He had to seek out his quarters immediately for some much-needed solitude if he was to keep face in front of everyone later.

Ren was about halfway there when he heard something that made him stop dead in his tracks:

It was a voice. A woman’s voice. Humming a soft, sweet melody that rang through the halls of the ship.

Ren could feel his gem tingling from the sound alone. He looked around for the source, baffled by what he was hearing yet saw no one in sight. There had never been any singing or music allowed aboard the _Supremacy_ before. Where was it coming from?

His mind now devoid of all previous thought, Ren started walking in the direction of the voice, the singing growing slightly louder as he did so. As he turned down a hallway, the voice became softer till he could barely hear it. Stopping, he doubled back and turned down the other hallway, where the voice grew louder again. Ren continued forward, his pace gradually quickening as he followed the call of the voice, paying attention as the volume either increased or dropped with every turn. Meanwhile his gem kept on tingling the closer he got toward the source, increasing to the point where it was starting to itch.

Finally, Ren came upon the sliding doors that lead into his personal hanger. The voice had become deafening at this point, as if the person were singing directly on the other side.

However, once Ren stepped through the doors, the voice all but stopped. No one was there.

Ren looked around in confusion. The hanger was completely empty apart from his ship, yet he could still sense a presence nearby. Stepping forward cautiously, he looked behind his docked ship and saw someone sitting alone at the edge of the hanger with their back to him.

Quietly as he could, Ren walked around his ship, approaching the figure from behind. Seeing their long brown hair, Ren concluded that it must be the girl whose voice he’d been hearing. Sure enough, as he got closer to her, he managed to hear her singing the same tune from the hallway. Only this time however, her voice was soft and barely above a whisper. This further baffled Ren. Why had it been so loud and clear before?

It was then Ren noticed she was wearing Storm Trooper armor, her helmet and gloves resting on the ground at her side. He also noticed she was rubbing the top of her ungloved hand which featured her gemstone: a teardrop shaped Pearl with a pointed tip in the middle.

Ren froze, now recognizing the girl from her file. This was the same Storm Trooper Hux had belittled back in the debriefing room. The Dolomite-turned-Pearl who came up with the sabotage plan Ren desperately needed for the invasion. Or, the ‘hideous off-color’ as Hux had so eloquently put it, despite having only seen her profile picture which showed her then ten-year-old self.

Curious, Ren quietly stepped around the trooper so he could look at her properly. The girl appeared to not notice him, her eyes firmly closed as she continued sing to herself, immersed deeply in thought with a calm look on her face.

Ren couldn’t help but watch her in fascination. He had never encountered an off-color before, so he had no idea as to what they looked like, though he had expected her to look a lot worse given Hux’s initial reaction. He also noted she didn’t look like a standard Quartz, Stone or Carbon-based Storm Trooper either, given her smaller size and her longish hair, which confused him as soldiers usually had theirs cut at the beginning of training.

As for her being a Pearl however, her appearance couldn’t have been more different. Every Pearl that Ren had ever come across before usually had the same type of standard beauty for their kind. Pale flawless skin like porcelain, shiny slicked back hair, thin delicate frames and soft feminine features. One would think at first glance that they looked almost like living dolls.

This girl however, was the complete opposite. Her skin was tan, rough yet soft looking and flecked with freckles. Her long brown hair flowed limply around her face, frayed and unkempt. Even her frame, despite being hidden by her armor, looked strong and sturdy. And that wasn’t even getting to her facial features.

The longer Ren stared, the more every little detail of her face stuck out to him, from her small nose to her long eyelashes to her gentle brow, and even down to her soft looking lips. Curiosity had him wishing he could look upon her eyes as well to see if they exhibited the same type of contradicting qualities this Pearl seemed to possess: Confidence mixed with vulnerability. Softness mixed with grit. Strength mixed with gentleness.

As the girl hummed softly, the corners of her lips slowly lifted upward into a bright smile. Ren didn’t know what she was thinking about exactly, but could tell they were happy thoughts, as her radiant smile spread across the rest of her face, practically lighting up the room from where she sat. It was like watching the first warming glow of a sunrise.

Gazing upon her, Ren’s breathing hitched as a tightness grew within his chest, made only worse by the strong beating of his heart. It had now become all too clear to him that Hux didn’t know what he was talking about, because there was nothing hideous whatsoever about this particular off-color.

She was… _beautiful_.


	5. Full Disclosure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RY-1218 meets Kylo Ren face to face for the first time...and he's nothing like she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much longer chapter then I intended, but I wanted to get this one right, since it is their first meeting. Time for some Reylo goodness everybody!

Chapter 5: Full Disclosure

As Kylo Ren stood mesmerized by the Storm Trooper that sat before him, RY-1218 was lost in her own little world, completely oblivious to his presence.

She smiled as she imaged herself running through fields of green, admiring the many different species of plant life she had come across in her travels. She imagined smelling the sweet flowers, feeling the grass under her bare feet, and even diving into the waters of a lake despite not knowing how to swim. It was her favorite fantasy and always helped her to relax. The very thought of being out in nature made RY wish she was on the moon's surface right now, enjoying its natural wonders.

Her daydreaming was interrupted however, by a sharp intake of breath that wasn't her own.

RY's eyes snapped open and she let out a loud yelp, seeing Kylo Ren suddenly standing above her. "L-Lord Ren!"

Ren, who had been transfixed on the Storm Trooper, snapped out of his haze upon and took a step back in surprise.

Panicking, the trooper quickly grabbed her gloves and helmet, scrambling to her feet as she hastily backed away. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to intrude upon your space!"

Ren watched as RY pulled her gloves on and quickly began tying her hair back up. As she struggled to do so, her helmet slipped out from under her arm and rolled across the floor towards him, much to her horror.

RY went to pick it up and felt a hand briefly touch her own. She looked up to see Kylo Ren attempting to grab the helmet as well, causing RY to quickly withdraw her hand from him. Her bottom lip trembled as she shrank back fearfully.

"I-I'm sorry I broke protocol." She pleaded in a scared, shaky tone. "P-Please don't hurt me."

Ren removed his hand from the helmet, taken aback by her plea at first. Why would she think he would hurt her over something as trivial as removing her helmet? Then he remembered the Storm Trooper from her squadron he had force choked earlier, making him realize he might not have made the best first impression.

When he didn't respond, RY grabbed her helmet and tried desperately to put it back on, hoping to save herself from a harsher punishment.

Ren, however, stuck his hand out towards her. "Stop. Put it back on the ground."

RY paused before lowering her helmet and slowly placed it back on the ground, terrified by what was about to occur next.

Kylo Ren stepped forward and raised both hands. RY closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst.

As she waited, she heard a soft hissing sound and reopened her eyes to see the Sith Commander removing his helmet.

To her utter surprise, RY found herself looking at a human man as he shook back his luscious mane of wavy, Jet-black hair, which fell just below his ears. She blinked several times at the man's long, pale face as he looked back her with an unreadable expression.

"There. Now we're both breaking protocol." Kylo Ren said, speaking in a clear, deep voice as he held his helmet against his side.

RY was left speechless. Her mouth hung open slightly in shock as she found herself staring into the most intense, dark-brown eyes she'd ever seen on a human before.

Forgetting herself for a moment, she took a small step forward as she looked over the rest of his face. She noted all its details, including his long nose, his full, plush lips, and even the beauty marks that flecked his smooth, pale cheeks. His face was asymmetrical but in an attractive way, which was causing fluttering sensations in her stomach. The Storm Trooper hadn't known what to expect in terms of what Ren really looked like, as he very rarely removed his helmet in front of his underlings. She had her guesses, but they certainly were nowhere close to what she was seeing now.

_He was…gorgeous._

"I... didn't mean to startle you," Ren said, taking a small step towards her. "Wasn't expecting anyone to be in here."

Hearing his deep voice again, RY’s heart began pounding wildly, causing an intense warmth to suddenly bloom within her chest. It spread across the rest of her body and up to her face, result in her cheeks turning a bright pink. Even her knees began trembling, as she struggled not to swoon under Ren’s intense gaze.

While RY had been around other men in the Order before, she could easily say that none of them held a candle to Kylo Ren. Combined with his tall, strong build, the man was near perfection. If she hadn't already known he was an Obsidian, she would've thought him something closer to a Diamond based on his looks alone. The only real imperfection Ren had, apart from the dark circles under his eyes, was a deep scar that stretched over the right side of his face and down his neck. Even then, it added to his already striking features and imposing demeanor, making him look intimidating and warrior-like, almost like a knight or a prince. Or both…

A small, faint voice in the back of RY's mind kept telling her to stop staring at Ren, as it was rude and inappropriate to be ogling her commanding officer in such a manner. She ignored it however, finding it too hard to look away even if she wanted to. And really, who could blame her?

Lucky for RY, Ren didn't mention anything or seemed to mind her staring at him.

Mainly because the Sith Commander himself was also staring, too mesmerized by the Storm Trooper in front of him to even attempt looking away.

After removing his helmet and looking upon her clearly for the first time, Ren became magnetically drawn to her eyes, which he'd been pleasantly surprised to discover were a beautiful shade of hazel. They had practically lit up the moment she saw him, sparkling like precious jewels and adding to the radiant pink glow of her face. Ren couldn't tear himself away from the sight of her, nor did he want to. From the moment their eyes met, his heart skipped a beat and he could barely breathe, becoming just as captivated as she was.

For a while, they stood in complete silence, staring at each other like tall glasses of water both were eager to drink from. RY seemed especially eager, subconsciously inching towards Ren as the blush on her face seemed to grow brighter with every step. Her fingers were now twitching, as if she were about to reach forward and touch him.

It wasn't till Ren felt the pricking of his own eyes from her increasingly bright glow, that he realized he'd been staring at her without blinking for at least a good minute. Averting his gaze briefly, he suddenly noticed steam rising up from the floor, specifically from under his boots where he stood. 

Ren immediately backed away a few steps from the Storm Trooper, effectively breaking himself out of the spell he’d been under. Only then did the steam disappear. Ren blinked several times, looking around in confusion like he'd forgotten where he was. What had just happened to him?

Seeing RY still looking at him, Ren rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath before regaining his rigid composure. Ren turned back to RY, who was still in her own hypnotic fog and loudly cleared his throat to break the silent tension.

It took RY a moment to break out of her haze, nearly jumping out of her skin when she realized Ren was trying to get her attention. She noticed he wasn't looking at her anymore, instead gesturing awkwardly to the spot where she had previously been sitting. "Join me."

RY looked to where he was gesturing, taking a moment to process what he was saying before she responded. "Oh, uh, yes! As you wish Commander."

Nodding, Ren then sat down on the edge of the hanger, setting his helmet on the ground next to hers.

RY stood still for a moment, almost hesitating to move before forcing herself to sit next to him, making sure to keep a respectable distance. Folding her hands together, RY inhaled slowly, trying to breathe as if she'd forgotten how to do so in the past few minutes. She felt embarrassed by her earlier behavior and tried keeping her eyes focused ahead until Ren addressed her. However, she still found herself peeking curiously off to the side to glance at the Sith Commander, who was also staring determinedly ahead into space.

RY fidgeted nervously, feeling more self-conscious than ever. To say this whole scenario was weird would be an understatement. It was almost too much for RY to process that Kylo Ren, the Order’s second highest commanding officer, a man of rank and pedigree, would sit casually next to a nobody like her, as if they did this every day. Immediately, intrusively curious thoughts started invading RY's mind. What did he want with her? How long had he been silently watching her? If he wasn't going to punish her, then what was he planning to do? Also, how could a man as good-looking as Ren go around covering his face with that helmet all the time? Did he needed the helmet for some unknown reason? Was it to cover his scar? What was up with that anyway? Shouldn't his gem have healed a cut like that?

The two continued to sit in awkward silence, with Ren also stealing glances toward the Storm Trooper whenever he thought she wasn't looking. He too was wrestling with inner confusion over this sudden intense attraction he had to an otherwise common organic and soldier. He also felt that strange blip in the force again that he'd been ignoring earlier, which seemed to become stronger now that he was in closer proximity to her.

So many questions went through Ren's head as he gazed at this mysterious new girl. What was she doing in his hanger? Did she sneak away? How did someone like her wind up in Hux's army? Why had no one caught onto her before now? Were all Storm Troopers pretty like her? Why didn't she look like other Pearls? Was she different because she was an off-color? Even as he thought of that word, Ren was loathed to use it to describe her, as there was nothing 'off' about this girl whatsoever and certainly nothing 'hideous' as Hux had so bluntly put it. In fact, staring at her almost shimmering silhouette filled Ren with even more desire to shatter Hux for suggesting she was anything short of breath-taking.

It took a while before either one of them spoke, both sitting anxiously beside one another until Ren finally broke the ice.

"So…you're the Storm Trooper from the briefing correct?" Ren spoke up, still averting his gaze. "The one who came up with the plan for disabling the cannons?"

RY froze in place, remembering what Hux told her earlier, before hesitatingly nodding. "Yes sir…I am."

"Right. Of course." Ren nodded, mentally beating himself up over the obvious question. "So that would make you my new bodyguard then. How fortunate. Saves me the trouble of having to send someone to find you later."

"I suppose so." RY agreed.

"A bit far from your squadron, aren't you?" Ren asked, peeking over at her inquisitively. "Does the General know you're here?"

RY was silent for a bit. "No sir..."

"Did you come here to hide or escape?" Ren asked, this time looking straight at her as if he were expecting her to lie.

Luckily, RY felt no such compulsion to do. "Hide."

A moment of silence passed with Ren merely watching her, looking as if he wanted her to say more. When she didn't elaborate further, Ren continued to talk in an attempt to lessen the awkward tension.

"Well then, since you're already here…” Ren said, casually staring ahead again. “I may as well brief you on your bodyguard duties, so you can be prepared for tomorrow."

"What? Oh." RY said almost in surprise, before nodding hastily. "Yes, of course sir."

Ren noted her expression, throwing her an almost questioning glance. "Unless you've already been informed? I wouldn't want to waste your time."

"Oh, you're not sir I assure you," RY added quickly, not wanting to offend him. "It's just... General Hux did give me a brief summary of my duties shortly after you left. He said that I'm to attend to your every need during all daytime hours, except for combat training. Also...that I'm only to speak when spoken to. And that he'd shatter me if I stepped out of line."

"I see," Ren said, scoffing in annoyance as he realized what was responsible for her hesitant responses. "He would say something like that. Pompous, little windbag."

RY blinked at the open disdain in Ren's voice but wasn't entirely surprised given the two's interaction back in the assembly room. She was surprised, however, by what he said next.

"Just so we're clear on the matter...I do not share in the General's viewpoints on gem superiority or hierarchy. Such petty concepts don't matter to me. So long as you prove yourself useful and trustworthy enough to get the results I need, you'll be treated like any other soldier. Despite what they say about me, I don't go around shattering people for slight infractions."

"That is good to know sir." RY nodded, feeling much more relieved by this revelation then she let on.

"Also, while you are required to escort me at all functioning hours, given you're the only one working this position, I am willing to allow certain leniencies such as personal time for meals and breaks. You also have permission to speak freely as well, especially if something prevalent to the invasion requires mentioning. Of course, I do expect you to pass all ideas by me first before they can be conveyed properly to the other officers during war meetings."

"Yes. Of course, Commander." RY nodded before hesitatingly asking a question. "May I ask then…what a typical day for you is like? Just so I have an idea of where I'm going and what's expected of me?"

Ren glanced at her, pleased that she was finally engaging with him now, but kept his face neutrally rigid. Straightening up, he then thought to himself briefly before speaking.

"Well for starters...I get up two hours before day cycles begin to eat my morning rations and practice my physical training. Once operating hours start, I attend meetings with the higher officers for updates on the colonies and all inner workings of the empire, as well as to go over all future invasion plans. That takes up most of the early hours until mid-day when lunch rations are served. I then spend an hour meditating, after which I attend inspections around the entire ship, checking in with the supervisors and making sure all sectors and weapons are fully functional. After making sure all preparations for upcoming invasions are on schedule, I check in with Supreme Diamond Snoke and update him on our progress. I then have my evening rations and spend the remaining cycles either training or attending to other business matters until night cycles begin."

"I see," RY said, trying to memorize all the details. "That is quite a lot. Am I correct in assuming that you will be requiring my services for all of those hours?"

"Most of them yes. The only exceptions would be your combat training, mealtimes, and breaks," Ren confirmed. "Other than that, I will be expecting you to follow close behind me, as if you were my second shadow. When morning cycles begin, you should already be waiting for me outside my quarters. You will follow everywhere I go, every time I leave and enter a room, and escort me back to my quarters when I retire. At no point am I to be spotted walking around this ship alone. Otherwise, the other officers might think you incompetent and you could lose your position and the protection it provides."

"Right. So, always stay close to you no matter what. Got it." RY nodded nervously. "I will make sure to be at your beck and call my Lord."

"Please see that you do," Ren said firmly. "I'm putting a lot on the line to keep you on this ship. I expect it to be worth my troubles."

"I know Lord Ren...and I apologize for causing you such strife and inconvenience, especially where the General is concerned." RY said, frowning as she felt a twinge of guilt. "Whatever you need of me, I will provide without question. Just say the word."

Ren glanced over her for a moment, noting her discomfort as she stared uneasily down at her trembling hands. A feeling of remorse overcame him, as he hadn't meant to make her feeling guilty for something Hux had done. He wanted to reassure her in some way, but every idea seemed inappropriate for him to do. Though technically speaking, Ren was already being inappropriate by removing his helmet in front of her. He reasoned that he at done so to set her more at ease, hoping they could talk more on a personal level. Even then, she still seemed a little scared and intimidated, given her hesitance to speak up without being addressed first. Not that he blamed her, given what Hux had said to her and the position she found herself in.

Even so, Ren still wanted to maintain a friendly rapport with her, given she was to be bodyguard for the next few days. He then continued to engage her in conversation, this time in a gentler tone in hopes of putting her more at ease.

"If that's the case…I would like some more information from you. There are questions I have that I'd prefer not to ask in front of the other officers. Ones I thought of during your initial pitch that I hesitated to ask back in the assembly room." Ren explained before adding. “If you’re willing to share of course.”

"Q-questions? What kind sir?" RY asked anxiously.

Ren turned towards her. "Those caves you mentioned…the ones you said lead toward the generator. You said they have multiple entryways. Where are they all located?"

RY let out an internal sigh of relief before answering. "Well, I don't know where every single one is hidden, but I did find a good number along the east river. Some lead out towards the jungle, others into lakes and grottos, and there are even one or two located up in the mountains. Most of them let out near the river though, including the entrance that leads toward the generator."

"And where is that located exactly?"

"It's hidden just behind a waterfall on the north side and empties into a grotto that joins with the river. A few clicks near where the power facility is located, and just a few clicks after that from the moon base."

"Are there any defenses around the generator? Security systems, guards, or the like?" Ren pressed on.

"The only defense I remember it having was an electrified fence, and maybe one or two workers operating it. I doubt the Resistance knows of its location and even if they did, they probably won't add any more security then it already has." RY went on. "As such, one would only need to set off a small pulse disruptor to disable the fence and a simple distraction to get rid of any guards. Though they typically stay in the operating booth where the controls are, so there’d be no reason to get that close and alert them."

"And how did you figure all this out exactly?" Ren asked curiously. "How do you know so much about that facility and the generator? And how did you come across those caves in the first place?"

RY suddenly became nervous again, almost hesitating to speak. "I, uh...well..."

Ren noticed her discomfort returning and even sensed a spike of fear from her. This wasn't good. If he wanted to keep her around, she needed to make herself useful both to him and the Order. Not to mention he was eager for her to elaborate on her knowledge of the base, as he wanted to make sure her plan was foolproof enough and would operate the way he needed it to like in the vision.

In a desperate attempt, he decided to do something unorthodox to gain her trust.

"How about this. For the time in which you spend as my bodyguard and consultant, I will grant you full immunity for full disclosure." Ren stated before she could respond. "You will not be punished for anything you confess in private. Whatever you say to me will stay that way, just between the two of us. No one else needs to know. Not Hux, your superiors, or anyone else on this ship. Not even the Supreme Diamond. Not unless I feel it completely necessary to the mission."

RY blinked in shock and licked her lips nervously. "You…you would really do that?"

"As I said, full disclosure," Ren confirmed. "That means telling me everything I want or need to know. If you're going to be my consultant on this plan, you must provide me with as much detail as you can to keep this position. I know you don't want Hux sending you back to Coruscant, and I don't want to jump into this invasion unprepared. This way, we both get what we want, and no one has to get in trouble. With that said, you're going to have to be completely open and honest with me to remain under my protection. You know I can forcefully take what I want from you…but I'd rather it not come to that."

RY could hardly believe what she was hearing. Truth be told, she was surprised Ren wasn't just outright probing her mind to get the info he needed and was instead was going through the trouble of keeping her on the ship. Still, she was grateful all the same that he wasn’t immediately ordering her to speak or poking around inside her head. And he was at least willing to be discreet so long as she was honest with him.

At that, a spark of hope ignited inside RY. Perhaps this was her way out. Maybe if she did a good enough job providing intel, Ren would convince Hux not to punish her and maybe even allow her to stay by his side permanently. The very thought created a pleasant stir in her chest, prompting her to take the risk.

RY swallowed nervously before responding. "And you swear you won't tell anyone else?"

"I swear it," Ren said, looking at her intently.

Though still hesitant, RY felt she could trust the Commander's word and took a deep breath.

"I know about the generator and its facility…because I helped build it."

"You helped build-" Kylo Ren blinked twice. "But you're a trainee. How did you manage to do that?"

"It's a bit of a long story actually…" RY admitted sheepishly. "I wouldn't want to bore you with details-"

"I like long stories actually."

RY looked up as Ren shifting his whole body towards her. Getting comfortable, he folded his hands in his lap as he gave her his full attention. "Go on."

Finding his willingness and patience to listen to her endearing, RY felt a little more confident and turned to face him as she began to speak.

"Alright then. So, this all started after the first successful invasion of Ajan Kloss. My squadron leader, Captain Phasma, had sent us on a routine scouting mission to the moon to search for any hazards left behind by the locals. During our mission, I had…gotten separated from my squadron and eventually wound up in the underground caverns. When I finally emerged, it was at that entrance I mentioned in the grotto by the lake. I followed the river downstream and eventually, it led me back toward the camp where my squadron resided. The Captain was furious with me, thinking I had wandered off, and as punishment, stuck me with Base Maintenance. I ended up having to clean and assemble all of the new operating equipment being brought to the new base location, including parts for the generator. Because of the number of explosives that were to be stored underground, they decided to place the generator in the jungle, hidden away from the main base so the power supply wouldn’t be compromised. Since I cleaned every part of the generator, they had me help build and install it to guarantee that all the parts worked. That's how I learned where the power facility was located, how its security systems worked, and how it distributed power to all the facilities and weapons on the moon base, including the cannons which lay dormant at the time."

"I see…" Ren said, looking thoughtfully before asking a question. "And the caves? How were you able to familiarize yourself with them if you were forbidden from leaving your squadron?"

RY hesitated before continuing. "Well…admittedly it wasn't my intention to explore them at first. When I first started assembling the generator, I worked many long, non-stop hours, going well into the night. As such, I didn't always have the energy to walk back to camp. So instead, I'd follow the river back to the nearby grotto and would spend the night in the caves. Of course, I had to make sure to return to camp before sunrise, less the Captain found out what I was doing. Eventually, I ended up exploring the rest of the caves to find a quicker route back to camp, using my tracking gear so I wouldn't get lost again. That's how I learned where the other passageways led to and became well versed with all the hidden paths and exits, including one that lets out near the moon base. That way I could always sneak back undetected and the captain would never be the wiser."

"Wait, there's a direct path to the base itself?" Ren asked in confusion. "Why didn't you bring that up instead of the path to the generator?"

"Because that pathway doesn't exist anymore." RY elaborated. "There was a cave-in caused by the construction of the base that ended up blocking it. I found an alternative route a little further off, but it was much too dangerous to use. Very dark and treacherous to navigate with lots of pitfalls. I nearly died falling into one the last and only time I tried using it."

"Ah. No matter then." Ren nodded in disappointment before glancing at her again. "That cave by the grotto you mentioned. Why would you return to it? And why sleep in it? I can't imagine a cave being comfier than a bed."

RY smiled a bit in amusement. "It was quite comfy actually, once I found the right patch of moss to sleep on. There was even a small pond inside it so I could wash up. What I liked best was that it gave me some much-needed solitude away from my squadron, who can be rather...difficult to deal with. It ended up being the perfect place to get some peace and quiet, especially for someone like me who enjoys being out in nature. Given I spent my childhood living on a desert planet and the years following within a dense metal city, being in a place like that was a welcome change. If I’m being completely honest, planets that have forests, jungles, or large bodies of water were always my favorite to visit during our scouting missions. Being out among the plants and rivers...almost makes me feel alive."

Ren listened with fascination, his curiosity peaked as RY seemed to let a slip of happiness show through on her face, like the smile he'd seen before. It suited her much more than the fear she'd been emitting up to this point. Thinking over what she said, it never occurred to Ren that Storm Troopers could have wants and desires of their own. He had seen them as faceless, nameless foot soldiers for so long, he'd almost forgotten that half of them were real people and not just obedient clones.

Yet as he thought back on her words, something still felt off, like an important lingering detail was missing.

"I appreciate you being honest and for sharing your experience. It was very...enlightening. However, you still haven't answered one of my questions…why did you go into the caves in the first place? If you were just supposed to be scouting the area where the base was to be built, what made the caves worth exploring?"

RY looked down shamefully before answering. "Truth be told…I was hiding when I first found them. Originally, I was supposed to be scouting out the terrain of possible construction zones for the new base. However, the members of my scouting unit were unhappy about me being placed in their group, so they kept trying to trip me up for their amusement. They would stick bugs in my armor, push me into mud puddles…at one point they even stole my blaster and made me walk ahead of them into unfamiliar terrain. We wandered far from the scouting perimeter and they threatened to shoot me if I didn't comply. Meanwhile, they'd linger back in hopes that I'd take the brunt of whatever threats lay ahead of us."

Ren clenched his jaw, trying not to react as he felt anger bubble up inside him. He managed to somehow stay silent, letting her continue with her story.

"Eventually we came across a trap left behind by the former inhabitants, which unleashed a destroyer droid upon us." RY continued. "It chased me clear across the jungle, separating me from the others and forcing me to hide inside one of the caves for shelter. I was so worried about it following me, that I ran deeper into the cavern then I intended and almost fell into a ravine. Somehow, I managed to pull myself back up, but by then I was completely lost. Spent nearly two days wandering in the darkness before I eventually found my way out. However, by the time I returned to camp, I decided not to tell the Captain about the caves. Told her I got stuck up a tree while running away and became lost on my way back. She never questioned my excuse, leaving me free to go back and explore the caves on my own time. Despite how scary they were at first, they became like a secret sanctuary to me, where I could relax and find some peace away from the members of my squadron."

"Is that why you're here in this hanger alone, without anyone's knowledge?" Ren asked. “You needed a sanctuary from them?”

RY paused and nodded. "Among other reasons."

"And are those…'soldiers'…still in this squadron?" Ren asked, restraining the anger in his voice even though a glint of rage was still present in his eyes.

"No. Half of them were shattered by the destroyer droid, while the rest were reprimanded and eventually transferred to other squadrons," RY confirmed.

"I see. Good riddance." Ren said with a firm nod before a thought occurred to him. "But if you didn't want anyone knowing about the caves, why tell me and Hux? Not that I don't appreciate you doing so."

"Well...you were asking for our help and intel. That is why you summoned us in the first place isn't it? I wanted to be useful, so I provided where my squadron could not." RY confirmed, before smiling a bit at him. "Besides, it's always been my hope to one day work and possibly fight in your army, should I ever become a fully-fledged soldier. Listening to my comrades tell stories of your various battles and conquests...I’ll admit was the only reason I tolerated being around them."

Ren felt his face flush at her compliment and instantly looked away, swallowing thickly before continuing. "I see. That is certainly an admirable aspiration…in which case, I hope your marksmanship numbers are as good as your file says they are. Especially if you plan to fight alongside me. Though I'm sure they're more then sufficient for any trouble that may arise while you're on board."

"They are. I promise you that." RY nodded before a question suddenly wormed its way to her mind. "Permission to ask a somewhat personal question Commander?"

Ren glanced back at her apprehensively. "Depends on what it is."

RY gazed back at him curiously before proceeding. "Why do you need a bodyguard exactly? No disrespect but, I've listened to countless stories about your battles with the rebels and of the numerous invasions strikes you've led in the past. The tale of how you single-handedly took down a small army using only the force is legendary among us Storm Troopers. If all that is indeed true, then surely you're more than capable of defending yourself on your own ship?"

Ren said nothing at first, once again resuming an unreadable expression. RY fidgeted nervously, wondering if she crossed a line or if her words came out wrong. However, Ren seemed to pay no mind as he responded.

"I don't really need a bodyguard per se. For the most part, I can look out for myself just fine. Lately though, the rebels have been resorting to more desperate measures in their attempts to steal information and sabotage the Order’s invasion plans. Some of which have caused some significant safety concerns. The last time that happened, a rebel pilot managed to disguise himself and snuck aboard the Supremacy unnoticed. Somehow, he convinced an FN Storm Trooper, one from Hux's guards no less, to steal invasion plans for him. The two of them fled the ship together with the plans but not before a fight broke out onboard. I was admittedly not in top form that day, nor did I have back-up when I encountered them in the hallways. In a rare moment of distraction, I ended up with a serious blaster wound to my side which led to their escape. I still have a slight limp from it. Should I find myself in a position like that again, it'd be nice to have someone with a blaster watching my back."

"I suppose that makes sense." RY nodded, even though once again, she wondered why his gem hadn't just healed the injury for him. "But why just me then? Why not have several troopers follow you around if you're that worried about safety?"

“Based on your overall training scores, you should easily be able to compensate for several of your comrades’ combined abilities. There’s no real doubt in my mind about that.” Ren explained, staring at her for a moment. “I know for certain I’d feel more at ease having just one of you as my guard, as opposed to a dozen of them.”

RY couldn’t help but blush at the compliment. “Thank you, sir. That means a lot. I’ll make sure then to be the best guard you ever had.”

"You'd be the only guard I've ever had, if we're being honest." Ren pointed out, looking hesitant for a moment. "And since we are…another reason I'd only want you around is, well...I don’t particularly enjoy being around large crowds. Especially when they're filled with incompetent underlings. Granted I spend every day surrounded by thousands of beings who all come to me for direction and advice, but there are times where it gets overwhelming. Doesn’t help that most of them either loathe or fear me, while half of them are just unfathomably inept. That’s not to say I’d rather be alone but…I just enjoy my privacy more. If that makes any sense."

RY's face lit up in understanding. "Yes, I believe it does. In which case, I’ll try to keep the crowds of incompetent Storm Troopers at a distance from you sir...unless you need or want the target practice."

The smallest hint of smile tugged on the corner of Ren’s lips. "I appreciate that, really....You should give yourself more credit you know. I know it’s your first assignment but I can tell you’ll do just fine as my bodyguard. Besides…something tells me that you'd be far safer by my side alone than with the rest your squadron on this ship. Especially with Hux watching you."

“That’s for sure.” RY agreed. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous about attending the war meeting tomorrow, given everything he said earlier. Wouldn’t be surprised if he took his anger out of me during training either.”

"He won’t. I’ll make sure of it.” Ren stated, suddenly looked anxious before speaking intently. “Listen…I know you are part of his army, but if he gives you or any of the troops' orders that contradict the invasion plan or any of my direct orders, please let me know immediately. And if he tries to injure you or keep you from attending my services, send him my way and I'll deal with him swiftly. I'll be sure to keep him in check during the morning meetings as well."

"Of course, Commander." RY nodded, feeling flattered over his protectiveness before adding. "The General may control my squadron, but my loyalty to you and the Supreme Diamond far outweigh my loyalty to him. Though, understand I may not always be able to fully refuse him. He has already threatened to shatter me should I disobey, which would prevent me from further helping you with the invasion plan."

RY noticed Kylo Ren flinch a bit at her mentioning of being shattered, but he quickly nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. And yes, I understand. I think it's fair to say as long as we play the roles we're meant for while secretly looking out for one another in the process, everything should go smoothly.” He then paused before adding. “I’ll admit, it’d be nice to have someone on this ship who I can fully trust and confide in for once."

RY beamed at his words, unable to hold back the smile on her face at the thought that Kylo Ren considered her a confidant. "I would like that too."

Looking at her dazzling smile, Ren’s heartbeat spiked as he became bewitched once more by her radiance. His eyes roamed over her face and down to her beautiful mouth, making him wonder just how soft her lips actually were...

Ren then felt a burning sensation in his ears, jolting him out of the fantasy now brewing in his mind. He quickly looked away, letting out a slow breath as he tried calming himself. Closing his eyes, he ran his fingers anxiously through his dark hair as he tried not to look frazzled.

RY noted his sudden discomfort but was then distracted when she saw Ren’s large ears poking out from underneath his long, wavy locks. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she could've sworn she saw them turn a bright shade of reddish pink, almost to the point where they looked like they were on fire.

"Well then…I believe we covered everything here." Ren said, standing up abruptly. "If there's nothing further, I believe we should start making our way back to our separate quarters before the others realize we're missing."

"Oh, uh, yes. I agree. I'm probably already in trouble as is for taking off without permission. Still, I am glad to have run into you, Commander." She said, looking at him sincerely. "This has been, as you said…enlightening."

Ren swallowed thickly. "Thank you. Likewise." He then paused for a moment before extending his gloved hand down to her. "I uh, look forward to working on this plan with you…RY-1218, cut 15."

RY felt her heart beating harshly against her ribs. He had remembered her number…

"As do I, Lord Ren."

RY reached out, placing her ungloved hand within his and grasping it firmly. As Ren pulled her up, something strange happened.

RY's gem started to glow brightly, much to her shock and amazement. Similarly, Ren felt his gem start to burn under his glove and immediately withdrew his hand from hers, causing them both to step away from each other. RY's gem stopped glowing while Ren felt the burning in his hand subside.

The two stared at each other for a moment, confused by what had just occurred.

"I-I'm sorry. That's never happened before." RY said, looking embarrassed as she glanced at her gem before quickly stooping to pick up her glove, pulling it back over her hand.

Ren once again paused a moment to admire the alluring glow in her cheeks, before quickly shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing."

They both reached down and grabbed their individual helmets, placing them back on their heads before standing to face each other once more.

"Do you know where the mess hall and crew quarters are located?" Ren asked, speaking through his voice modulator.

"No. We were brought straight to the assembly room upon arrival," RY confirmed, her voice slightly distorted through her own helmet.

"Then I shall escort you toward the mess hall for your evening rations before I retire. Your comrades should be able to show you where everything else is…also, I think it best you stay in your designated sleeping quarters until functioning hours begin again. For your own safety."

"Yes sir." RY nodded in agreement.

"I expect you to be outside my quarters tomorrow as soon as the day-cycles begins, sharp. There should be a map of the _Supremacy_ in the crew itinerary that will lead you to where that is."

"As you wish Commander," RY responded, saluting him. "And…thank you again. For all you've done."

Kylo Ren paused for a moment, then turned and walked ahead of her without another word.

RY sprinted after him, exiting the hanger after Ren and trailing behind him as closely as she could.

If she was to play the part of his second shadow, she may as well start practicing now.

* * *

It ended up being rather fortunate that RY ran into Kylo Ren when she did. While he was escorting her to the crew area, they were intercepted by two Storm Troopers from Hux's personal guard who had been searching all over for her, thinking she had attempted to escape. They were about to inform Hux of her whereabouts when Ren stepped in, vouching for her absence by claiming he had summoned her personally to brief her on guarding duties. He firmly told them not to inform Hux of her departure and ordered them to escort her the rest of the way to the crew area without question, to which they obeyed. RY had meant to thank Ren before they parted but the Commander had already left without so much as a backward glance.

By the time RY arrived in the mess hall, the rest of the Storm Troopers had already gathered and were enjoying their evening rations. While most of them ignored her, one squadron had their eyes firmly on her the moment she walked into the room. She could tell they were her comrades as they were the only troopers in the room that weren't sporting red shoulder pads, as evident by those in Hux's personal guard. All of them had gathered at a single table on the other side of the room and even though they mostly kept their helmets on, she could feel their resentful stares following her to the rations line. She wondered briefly what Hux had said to them after she left, theorizing that he might have threatened them with punishment for being aware of her presence and not informing him about it earlier.

Either way, RY wasn't about to ask nor find out, especially once she spotted the trooper that had shoved her earlier, glaring at her menacingly from across the room. Given he was the only one in the group with his helmet off, RY couldn’t help but notice that he looked slightly different than usual. Granted he still had most of his normal features, like his prominent square jaw, piercing green eyes, and the orange Jasper gem that sat on his large chin like a goatee, but now his hair was a bright, platinum blonde, instead of the dark brown it used to be. RY had heard that people tended to look a little different after their bodies were broken and reformed, and judging by her comrade's new hair color, that was very much true. Still, not wanting another confrontation, RY decided to head Lord Ren's orders and quickly grabbed her rations. She used a map on the wall to locate the crew quarters, escaping the room before anyone from her squadron could approach her.

Thankfully, it wasn't hard to navigate her way there. After searching around for a bit, she eventually found the utility closest that she was to stay in. A small cot had been set up inside among the cleaning products along with, to RY's annoyance and disgust, a metal bucket. Although this was a new low in how she was being treated as an off-color, RY quite frankly was thankful for the privacy. At least she wouldn't be shoved into a tight bunk with troopers who were waiting to beat her up.

After removing her armor, RY sat on her cot and balanced her tray of rations on her lap while she ate, grateful that she wouldn't go to bed hungry tonight due to her comrades either stealing her food or purposely dropping it on the floor. Perhaps she might even get some decent sleep for once, now that she was free from listening to multiple people snoring at once.

Once finished, RY left her tray by the door and laid back on her squeaky cot, staring up at the ceiling as she recounted the day's events. So much had happened to her today, that she almost couldn't comprehend it. Especially the fact that she was still alive to reflect on it all. She should've been nothing but broken shards by now, and yet she wasn't. And it was all thanks to one Sith Commander who had somehow seen her worth where others refused to.

RY lifted her hand and glanced up at her gem, which still tingled and felt a little warm from earlier. It immediately made her think back to Kylo Ren and the whole conversation they had together. She still couldn't get over just how different he was compared to everything else she’d heard about him. Despite his reputation stating otherwise, Kylo Ren was a lot more reasonable and accommodating then she expected. There were moments where she even thought him kind, even as he tried to remain stern and unfeeling throughout their conversation. He was also surprisingly humble, given how flustered and nervous he got whenever she offered him a compliment.

The biggest surprise of all was just how easily he had gotten her to open up to him. And he did it all without ordering or threatening her, a fact which she still found mind-boggling. Never before had she been able to hold such a long, personal conversation with another, that didn't involve her merely receiving orders or being insulted in some way or form. He even allowed and encouraged her to talk freely, like he was eager to converse with her. Despite her ramblings and long-winded explanations, he never shut her down once. On the contrary, the man seemed genuinely interested and curious in what she had to say. He even got mad on her behalf after learning about her issues with her squadron. The fact that he was such a good listener and so attuned to her feelings added even more to his over-all appeal and attractiveness.

And that was all without mentioning how _physically_ attractive he was. Just thinking about his dark wavy locks, those penetrating brown eyes and that deep baritone voice was enough to make RY feel warm all over. The way he stared at her, making her feel like she was being examined inside and out, sent a pleasant chill throughout her body. It wasn't like when her comrades or superiors glared at her out of disgust or hatred. He looked at her like he was seeing the real her, beyond her status and gem type. Almost like she was an actual person. There was also something else in his gaze that RY couldn't quite identify. Looking back, the way he stared at her should've bothered or maybe creeped her out a little, but after a lifetime of either being ignored or glared at, she was glad just to be seen and appreciated by someone she greatly admired. Someone who made her feel special and could get her heart racing with only a glance. And starting first thing tomorrow, she would have him all to herself for the next five days, even though her overall purpose was simply to guard him and provide him with intel.

While this wasn't how she pictured herself working for Ren, she was grateful for it nonetheless and wanted to seize the opportunity while she could. She only had five days to make an impression and get Ren to advocate on her behalf. Five days for Ren to convince Hux not to send her back to Coruscant for punishment and allow her to stay on board with him. It was a long shot yes, but even if it didn't pan out, RY still intended to make the most of the time she had with Ren. She wasn't sure why she was so drawn to him, both in body and spirit. Even the little voice in her mind kept telling her not to be so infatuated with a man who was both her commander officer and an aspiring Sith lord.

And yet, something else kept telling her that her true place was by his side. That he could possibly be the key to her overall salvation and maybe even change her future.

RY let out a sigh at the thought. "Come now, no need to get your hopes up or think of the impossible. Just focus on tomorrow. You have a big day ahead of you."

With that, RY turned over and attempted to get some sleep. Assuming Hux didn’t shatter her outright tomorrow, she hoped she'd be useful enough to Ren to stick around long enough to find out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kylo Ren lay awake in his quarters as he usually did, only this time it wasn't due to nightmares or forming late-night battle strategies.

This time, it was a pair of warm hazel eyes that kept flitting through his mind, attached to the beautiful, soft face of a woman he had no business being so attracted to. And yet he was. Intensely so.

And for some reason, that bothered him. Not because Ren shared in Hux's belief on off-colors or Pearls, but because of how much of an effect she had on him. The fact that he had fallen so hard for her at first sight had completely thrown him for a loop. Just looking into her eyes alone was enough to overwhelm his senses, to the point where he became too anxious to even speak properly around her.

Throughout their whole conversation, he struggled to maintain his composure and stay professional in his role as her Commander, trying his best to treat her as just another Storm Trooper. Yet all it took was one smile to shatter his resolve to pieces. He never experienced anything like that with anyone before, especially with one of his underlings. It was almost embarrassing. Here he was, a powerful force user on his way to becoming a Sith Lord, being made undone by a pair of pretty eyes attached to nameless soldier among the thousands that served him. A nobody whose number he shouldn't have bothered to memorize, and yet he knew it fully along with her gem cut code. And the way she smiled at him, especially after he'd compliment her...How was he supposed to concentrate on planning the invasion with her following him around for the next five days?

Ren let out a sigh as he stared at the ceiling. He thought back to their conversation, over how cruelly she'd been treated by those in her squadron and all she'd endured from their misplaced hatred of her. And yet despite those interactions, she didn't seem the least bit bitter or unkind. Instead, she faced every obstacle she'd encountered head-on, using her talents, wits, and resourcefulness to learn and keep herself afloat, like a natural-born survivor. For someone who was supposed to be an inferior, defective 'off-color', she was much smarter and braver than any soldier that had served him before. Not to mention more beautiful than any perfectly symmetrical Pearl he had ever come across. Just thinking of her sparkling eyes brought a cozy warmth to his chest, the likes of which he could never tire of.

But before he could get lost in fantasy, a faint voice echoed through his head. A familiar one that instantly made his blood boil, interrupting all thoughts and extinguishing whatever good mood he had.

_"Ben…"_

Ren sat up immediately. No one was around of course but he could feel them. A familiar presence that constantly lingered and would never leave him alone.

_"Ben…"_

Gritting his teeth, Ren grabbed the lamp off his nightstand and hurled it as hard as he could toward his window. The lamp broke against the glass, which cracked slightly from the impact but otherwise remained intact, still showing a view of Ajan Kloss in the distance.

Ren let out an agitated breath, annoyed that he'd once again have to get that window repaired along with a new lamp. He waited for a moment to hear the voice again but thankfully it stopped. Even so, he knew he couldn't let his guard down less it come back again.

Because it always came back. Always. Usually when Ren was at his weakest and close to sleep. It had been pestering him for weeks now, starting when Snoke had left. Ren had hoped it would stop once his master returned but it didn't. Now it looked as if he were in for another sleepless night.

“No. Not tonight. I’m not having it.” Ren said determinedly out loud.

Ren knew he couldn’t afford to nod off again like he’d done on previous meetings. It was moments like that which made him glad he always wore a helmet, mostly to cover the fact that he was losing sleep. However, tomorrow they were to begin the final stage of their invasion plans and needed to be awake and alert.

With that in mind, Ren stood up from the bed and walked over to a nearby podium, tapping the cover and causing it to open.

Inside surrounded by cold air, was the charred skull of his deceased grandfather, Darth Vader, still resting inside his old helmet which was now partially melted. Lodged inside one of the eyeholes were the cracked and charred remains of the dark lord's Ruby gemstone. Ren had managed to locate the skull through the interplanetary black markets, eventually procuring it from a Sith Cult that had been preserving it as a relic for their collection. Vader, whose gem had been in his left eye, was defeated in battle after dueling a Jedi who sliced his head off with a lightsaber. Despite dying instantly, Vader’s head still remained as his gem managed to preserve part of his essence, while the rest of his body faded away. Attempts to burn it over a pyre had ultimately failed, as the gemstone’s heat-resistant powers managed to preserve the skull and helmet. While the Ruby itself became cracked over the years, its pieces became permanently embedded into the skull.

Placing a hand on the helmet, Kylo Ren closed his eyes as he pleaded softly. "Grandfather…I feel the pull to the light again…give me the strength to keep her out for another night…please…"

The broken Ruby shards glowed softly inside the skull. Feeling his gem tingle, Ren let his mind sink into darkness, overriding his senses so that he became clear of all emotions besides anger and passion for revenge. In it, he was finally able to achieve the focus and mental power he craved to construct the proper defenses inside his mind. Only then was he able to put his thoughts firmly back on his mission and what he had to do.

Now thinking clearly, he realized how foolish he'd been to waste his thoughts on as a fleeting attraction. It didn’t matter how she’d made him feel. No soldier was worth being distracted from his mission. Besides, he'd only be dealing with her for the next five days and would never see her again afterwards. She'd become nothing more than a brief memory at best compared to what he had waiting ahead for him. Only five days remained until his planned fall at the hands of General Organa, and his resurrection into the new all-powerful Sith Lord he was destined to become.

Putting away the skull, Ren sat cross-legged on his bed, closing his eyes, and attempted to drift off into a deep meditation, keeping his mental defenses up all the while. It wasn't sleep, but it was close enough and would mostly keep away the intrusive nightmares that had been plaguing him lately. There was no way he would let himself be pulled back to the light, especially now. His future and everything he'd worked and sacrificed for depended on it.

Ren was so deep in mediation, that he didn't notice as frost began to form underneath him, slowly spreading over his bedsheet. The frost turned into ice and started creeping up his legs, freezing him in place till it was time for him to wake again.


End file.
